Our Dark Soul
by linzackles
Summary: Caroline gets home from a semester of college only to find that Klaus too has returned. She attempts resisting his advances, but with a threat looming in Mystic Falls she soon finds herself seeking him out. It's a choice that leads her down a murky path of blurred morals till she will stand equal with the object of her denied desire. Smatterings of Kalijah and Mabekah, Katoline.
1. Chapter 1

This is the continuation for _I Dare You_. I suggest reading it before this.

This story came as a result of people who kept saying that Caroline was too good for Klaus or that he didn't deserve her. I disagree with that and don't think Klaus needs a redemption storyline. I really want to see a darker side of Caroline though and since the show never went there I thought I'd write my own. My goal was to bring these characters to a sort of middle ground, so at no point will Caroline be going humanity-less (spoiler, sorry), but if you're a fan of bunny-diet-innocent Caroline then you might not like this either.

Some explaining: this story takes place in canon-verse (with a few exceptions) WITHOUT SEASON 5. In other words it replaces Season 5. The only reason for that is because I came up with the entire concept for this story during the post-S4 hiatus. So if any storylines seem familiar, it's entirely coincidental.

Further general differences to S5: The story kicks off after Summer and the first semester of college (about 9 months after 4x23). Stefan was only underwater for 2 months before they found him and put Silas down.

Differences to S4 canon: _I Dare You _is included in canon. No Klayley baby; that entire storyline in 416 never happened. The last time Klaus saw Hayley was in 409.

As with all beginnings, this chapter has some exposition and sets up a whole lot of stuff, which is why it is extra long.

There is some Mabekah at the end which, if you don't like the coupling, you can just scan through because it is pretty unnecessarily fluffy, lol. Nevertheless they're in here because they will become important to Klaus and Caroline's plot.

I apologise for the incredibly lengthy Author's Note.

Enjoy :)

* * *

**Part 1: Our Dark Soul**

Chapter 1: Something you're not

_But you gave away the things you loved_

_And one of them was me_

"Seriously, Elena? This is so not cool!"

Elena sighed and looked over at her best friend. "I didn't think you'd mind, Caroline. I thought you were fine with it now."

"First of all, at best, I'm 'sort of OK' with you two. Secondly, that doesn't mean I want to spend an hour in the car with you!"

"Who did you think was going to pick me up, Caroline? My school-going brother, my dead aunt or my dead guardian teacher?" Elena took a deep breath. "Your mother could have fetched you."

As much as Caroline hated to admit it, Elena had a point. Seeing as neither of them had wanted to take the long road back to Mystic Falls after an exhausting semester, Caroline guessed she didn't really have the right to complain.

She pasted a smile on her face in an attempt to lighten the moment.

"No, it makes sense that we go together." She hesitated before continuing. "And you're right Elena, I'm sorry. That was insensitive of me."

Elena was smiling warmly back at Caroline when a blue convertible Camaro pulled up. The rock music loudly blaring from it came to a stop too before the man whose blood had turned Caroline into a vampire stepped out.

In his usual gear of a black t-shirt and dark jeans he looked exactly as drop-dead gorgeous as the very first time she had laid eyes on him.

But obviously he hadn't changed. The elder Salvatore brother was as undead as almost every other person in her life. His beauty was as guaranteed for the rest of his existence as her own was.

A fact Damon naturally couldn't help commenting on.

"Ladies, college suits you. I swear neither of you have aged a _day_," he said, winking at Caroline as the two.

Both girls rolled their eyes at his comment before Elena walked into his open arms. The embrace didn't last long before a quick kiss was shared between the two. And as much as Caroline hated this coupling, she couldn't help thinking that they did seem really in love.

Still, she would always believe that Stefan was Elena's epic love. And just generally a better person.

Quietly huffing, she picked up her bags and dropped them into the trunk. She sensed someone behind her before seeing two arms drop Elena's bags into the trunk as well. She turned to face Damon.

"So, how's Stefan?"

"You mean you haven't kept in touch? Tut tut tut."

Caroline glared at him. "I've hardly been in touch with my own boyfriend. It's been a busy semester."

"True, but your boyfriend didn't spend two months trapped underwater while a psychopath stole his life."

Caroline huffed guiltily, then stalked off and jumped into the car. Two minutes into her time with Damon and she was already livid.

She sighed. Truthfully she did feel ashamed for not sticking to her friendship standards when it came to the younger Salvatore. She liked to think it was because of the amount of work she had had to adjust to and consequently deal with, but it was a bit more. So much had happened in Mystic Falls and being away from it had felt strangely freeing.

Whitmore College had proved to be a welcome escape. Being away from the place Bonnie had died and Silas had tricked all of them had been merciful. Plus it had made it easier to ignore Matt's absence and the accompanying worries about whatever he was doing with Rebekah.

And there was that other absence…

Elena pulled open Caroline's door and the blonde turned towards her friend ready with a defence, expecting a secretive last-minute appeal that Caroline be civil with Damon.

"Hey Caroline, would you mind sitting up front?" she asked instead. "I'm so tired, I could use a nap."

Caroline hesitated. She didn't particularly want to drive shotgun with _Damon_ in the driver's seat, but she couldn't exactly refuse her friend's request based on that.

Caroline reluctantly nodded and climbed out of the car before climbing back into the front seat.

Damon grinned at her. "OK. Everyone strapped in?" he asked, with that annoyingly condescending tone of his.

She was regretting this already.

"So, how are you liking college?"

It was a half hour into the trip and Elena's heartbeat had slowed and steadied about fifteen minutes ago.

Caroline figured Damon had grown bored of the silence and to be honest so had she, but that didn't mean that she felt like engaging in a conversation with him.

She sighed. "It's good. Busy," she replied abruptly, staring out the window.

Damon smirked, aware of how uncomfortable she was in the situation. Which was exactly why he was going to continue this conversation.

"Not a generic answer at all," he said sarcastically, but smiled.

Caroline sighed again, realising he was going to be persistent about this conversation. And if that was the case then she might as well talk to him. Particularly since the scenery driving back to Mystic Falls wasn't exactly intriguing.

Caroline turned to Damon. "I'm just not sure what to say. It's completely different to school, obviously. I guess it was just mostly weird being away from the craziness of daily life in Mystic Falls."

Damon sniggered but nodded. "Does she like it?" he asked, inclining his head towards the backseat.

Caroline frowned. "Aren't you supposed to know that?"

He glanced at her quickly and she swore she detected worry in his eyes.

"It wasn't that long ago when I wasn't Elena's boyfriend, Caroline. I remember how much she told me that never reached my brother."

"You think she isn't coping."

"I don't know. That's why I'm asking _you_."

He did his little side smile as he glanced at her quickly again, before training his eyes back on the road. Caroline couldn't deny that she was just the slightest bit touched by his line of questioning.

It was no secret that her, Elena and Bonnie had been close. Bonnie's death hadn't been easy on any of them. And then there was Matt who was who-knows-where and Elena had gotten Jeremy back only to have to leave him behind with zero parental support (because Damon _so _did not count) and a shoddy school situation.

Caroline had had her own doubts about her best friend's sanity at the beginning of the semester. Especially considering what they'd all just been through with taking down Silas. They'd had very little recovery time before it was time to pack up and head for college.

But Elena had turned out to be OK. Sometimes Caroline had seen evidence of her best friend's tears but she'd just politely pretended not to notice and eventually those times too had become rarer and rarer.

"She's doing well, considering. I think she just misses Jeremy."

Damon nodded thoughtfully. "And what about you?"

Caroline frowned deeply. Since when did Damon care about _her_? She waited for a sarcastic remark to show that he'd been joking, but only a silence followed as he waited for her reply.

"I'm fine," she responded, still feeling rather awkward about the question.

She turned back around to stare out of the window.

"You might be interested in knowing that Klaus hasn't shown his Original face yet."

As hard as she tried, Caroline couldn't help inhaling sharply at the mention of his name.

"Why would I be interested in that?"

Damon sniggered at her pretence and she gritted her teeth. She hated being so transparent.

"So you guys still want him back then?"

"Not particularly, but it's always nice to have tabs on the guy whose life pretty much insures your own."

She nodded. Klaus once again wordlessly disappearing had the Salvatores understandably worried. Any danger Klaus was in was a danger for them all, seeing as his death guaranteed theirs.

She tried to pry her thoughts away from the mysterious Original.

"Is there any reason to worry? Has there been any trouble?"

"Nope. We're all good. Which you'd know if you, you know, bothered picking up a phone," he said, re-broaching the topic from earlier. "For some reason I always thought the point of a sober sponsor was actually to be present to _sponsor _the person."

She turned back around to glare at Damon but he wasn't looking at her.

"God, could you stop rubbing it in?" She sighed. "I feel terrible. I just… needed to get away. From everything."

To her surprise he nodded in understanding.

A few minutes passed in silence before Damon spoke again.

"So what exactly are you studying, Barbie?"

She looked at him for a few seconds but he seemed to have completely written off their previous line of conversation. She sighed lightly.

"I'm not sure yet. I've taken tons of classes so far. Not really sure that anything's stuck. I like Psychology," she offered.

He nodded. "I found Psychology interesting too. I think it holds a certain appeal to vampires," he said, winking at her.

She knew what he meant. There was something surreal about being a whole different species surrounded by one that was so similar to your own.

Except of course for the fact that you hungered for them.

And there was the handy switch that vampires had to turn their humanity off. But then again, what was humanity really? It was all fascinating when you thought about it. What was the _true_ dividing line between a human and a vampire?

She thought about his words again.

"Wait. _You _went to college?"

"Why does everyone always find that so surprising?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"I don't know," she shrugged, "you don't seem smart?"

"Ouch!" he held a hand to his heart and she laughed. "For your information I went to college plenty of times, Barbie."

"So how come you don't have a job?" she shot back.

Damon looked over at her in surprise. "Now why on _Earth _would I have a job?"

She wasn't sure how to answer that. "Stefan went to school," she offered instead.

Damon scoffed. "You'd do well not to compare me to Stefan. Stefan enjoys pretending to be human. He thinks it's blood, but that's his real weakness. If he could just accept who and what he is, he'd have a much easier time controlling that person."

She gazed at him, mulling over his words.

"You think trying to be human is a waste of time?"

"I _know _that pretending to be something you're not, never ends well."

"Why?" she said, staring at him fixedly. "I feel happy at college. Normal."

"Is that before or after you sneak your midnight blood bag from your mini-fridge?"

She was silent. He had her and he knew it.

"Caroline, vampires can't be human. You don't have to believe me now, but in about sixty years you're gonna realise that all those people you were pretending for, are dead. Then new ones will take their place and you'll start the charade all over again. You'll be stuck in a rut pretending to be something less than the perfect specimen of a predator that you are… for no reason."

She listened intently, pondering his every word. "So you're saying humanity is useless?"

"I'm saying pretending to be human is. And as for 'humanity', everybody sure seems to love forgetting about the bad stuff that also means. Humans do some pretty terrible things too, Caroline."

He stared at her for a few seconds and she felt like he was talking about something specific.

Like all the terrible things a man she cared for against all odds had done.

Or the awful things she still held Damon accountable for and therefore couldn't approve of him as a boyfriend for Elena.

"So if being human is so terrible, how come you went to college so many times?" she asked in hopes of outsmarting him by finding a loophole in his argument.

"What can I say, I like college girls," he replied, and winked at her.

* * *

"I missed you so much!"

Caroline smiled over her mother's shoulder. For once the town sheriff was not dressed in her uniform but rather in a comfortable type of outfit that Caroline remembered from the days when her mother hadn't worked almost all hours of each day, every day.

The soft wool of her mother's sweater underneath her chin was comforting. She really felt like she was home again.

"I missed you too, Mom!"

The embrace lasted a few more seconds before Liz pulled away to get a better look at her daughter.

She remembered the days when the examining gaze was to inspect the slightest of ways her daughter had changed after weekends she'd spent with her father. Of course now she knew that her daughter would always remain the same; an eternally changeless undead creature.

But Liz had found a positive even in this. She had become skilled at reading her daughter's facial expressions. Each crease had a meaning; the sparkle, or lack of it, in her eyes was a sign of something.

She completed this survey now and was happy with the result. Her daughter looked content and in light of the events that she'd had to deal with before leaving for college, it was a miracle. Liz's eyes dropped to take in the rest of her daughter's body and she frowned at the outfit.

"You look different."

"Yeah, I got some new things. College look and all!" Caroline smiled, pulling silly poses.

Liz nodded. It wasn't a bad look; she just wasn't used to it. Moreover, she wasn't used to her daughter making such drastic changes without her even knowing about them.

She stared at Caroline, whose radiant smile was infectious. She had really missed her baby girl.

"Of course! How _is _college?"

Caroline grinned. "Honestly I'm glad the semester's over, but it's been a pretty amazing experience," Caroline said, before enveloping her mother in another hug.

Liz smiled before groaning at the sound of her ringing phone.

"I told them not to bother me."

Caroline smiled. "Don't worry about it, Mom. Take it!" she added at her mother's hesitation.

Liz sighed, retrieved her phone and answered it. She didn't even have the time to utter a greeting before her deputy's panicked voice came across the line.

"Sheriff, we have a situation. You have to come in."

"Paul, you know I took the day off," Liz said in annoyance.

"I know and I'm sorry. I tried to handle it without you but the Mayor requested you come in yourself."

Liz sighed. Rudy Hopkins had progressively become bossier and bossier and he could be pretty tough when the mood took him.

She tried to tell herself it had nothing to do with the fact that her child had come home from college today and his had not. Instead she let that thought inspire sympathy.

Liz uttered a simple goodbye before hanging up and looking at her daughter beseechingly.

"Honey, I…'

"I heard," Caroline interrupted, tapping her ear pointedly. "It's OK, go. I'll be right here."

"I'll be back as soon as possible, I promise," Liz replied guiltily.

"Don't worry about it, Mom. I have unpacking to do anyway."

"Thank you, honey, I'm so sorry," Liz apologised before grabbing her coat and making her way out.

Caroline sighed heavily. As good as it felt to be alone again after the long car ride, she wasn't exactly in the mood to unpack all the stuff she'd packed up only an hour and a half ago.

"Oh well," she shrugged before grabbing her bags and making her way to her bedroom.

She wondered what crisis her mother had been called away to deal with. Whatever it was, it had to be something either really weird or something with a high casualty count.

She dropped her bags in surprise when she opened her bedroom door, caught completely unaware by the sight before her.

"Well that worked out well, didn't it?" Klaus asked from atop her bed.

He was perched on her white comforter like this was some kind of scheduled meeting.

She froze. What else was there to do when a man like him walked back into your life after nine months? There he was, just sitting on her bed in all his Henley-wearing, jeans-clad dimpled glory. She could smell him and she hated that after all this time his amazing scent could still affect her. Or maybe that was just it. Maybe she'd been craving it for too long.

Klaus watched her take him in.

Though he too was undergoing the process of re-adjustment, he tried not to let it show. Not only had he become, in his months of absence, unaccustomed to the general effect that her simple presence had on him, but she had also adopted a new style.

"What are you _doing_ here?"

She sounded angry.

"You look well, love," he said honestly, yet dodging her question.

Caroline rolled her eyes. "You didn't answer my – wait, what do you mean 'That worked out well'? Did you have something to do with why my mom was just called away?"

"Welcome back to Mystic Falls, Caroline. May I help you with your luggage?" he asked, rising.

Caroline was becoming more and more annoyed with him and they'd been talking for approximately ten seconds. She hated it when he didn't answer her questions directly. Now he was just flat-out ignoring them. She took a step forward to stop him from touching her bags.

"Klaus, answer my questions or I'm leaving," she said, knowing it was the only real threat she could reasonably make.

"And leave your mother to come home to me?" he asked, raising his eyebrows in amusement as he sat back down on her bed in demonstration.

She sped over the bit of distance that separated them. He came close to recoiling, if only because her hypnotising scent had become stronger as she closed in on his personal space.

"What are you doing back in town, Klaus?" she asked through gritted teeth.

He frowned. She seemed genuinely upset with him, instead of just the mild annoyance at his intrusion that he had been expecting. It was apparent that she had been upset with him long before he had set a foot inside her house.

Regardless, her attitude was still rubbing him up the wrong way.

"I believe I founded this town, sweetheart, I can come here any time I please," he responded rather brattily.

Caroline rolled her eyes. He could be so immature sometimes. She hated it when he threw his substantial age around.

"That may be so, but you didn't found my room, so I'd appreciate if you left it," she snapped, proud of her own logic.

She stepped away from him and back to retrieve her bags.

"Ooh aren't we in a bad mood today, love?" Klaus teased.

"You know what, which part of 'leave' do you not get?" Caroline shouted, whirling back around. "You sure knew _exactly _what it meant a few months ago!"

Klaus frowned, a thousand thoughts whirling around in his mind. Surely him leaving Mystic Falls wasn't the source of her anger?

It was the only hint he had so far.

"Is that why you're so upset, darling?"

Caroline did a double take, realising she'd let out something that she hadn't planned on revealing.

"Don't flatter yourself," she replied bitterly, before turning back around to unzip a bag.

She started pulling stacks of neatly folded clothing from her bag before opening different drawers in her dresser in which to deposit them.

He frowned as he watched her, wondering how best to approach the topic. Taking a deep breath, he decided to let it go instead. The way he knew Caroline, she would bring it up again if it really was bothering her.

"How exactly did the makeover come about?" he asked, hoping she'd be more receptive to this line of conversation.

When he realised that she was either warring with herself about whether to answer him or just simply ignoring him altogether, he went back to studying her busy form. Tucked into the high-waisted black maxi skirt was a plain white top with a three-quarter sleeve. Over it hung a long gold chain with a large feather charm at the end.

It reminded him of his tattoo.

Her hair was sleeker than he'd ever seen it before. The whole look was different but pleasing to him.

Caroline felt his eyes on her as she marched up and down, completing this task at a human pace simply because she didn't want to finish quickly and then have to deal with Klaus. This was calming.

Luckily she had enough clothes packed to keep her busy for a while.

She did feel strange ignoring him though. More so because the quiet in the room bothered her. Caroline hated quiet moments.

She sighed. "I thought it would be nice to change up my look for college."

"It's different." He paused for the slightest of seconds. "I like it."

Involuntarily she turned to look at him and smiled.

Damnit.

She hated it when he said the right thing. It made it that much harder to stay mad at him.

She huffed and turned away again. As she bent down she realised that she only had her underwear left to unpack now. She bit the inside of her lip uncomfortably.

After a few seconds of hesitation, she grabbed her toiletry bag and headed into the bathroom. She took her sweet time re-placing her things in their proper positions, but when she got back to her room, he was still there. Caroline sighed. She had kind of been expecting him to leave since she had basically ignored him for a significant amount of time already. Now she only had underwear left to unpack.

She silently deliberated before opening her walk-in closet and folding all the empty bags and stuffing them at the top of it.

The silence in the room was heavy again. She peeked casually over her shoulder to see him still just sitting there on her bed, staring at her. She let her eyes roam over the rest of the room, pretending the glance back had been to check for anything she had overlooked.

She was surprised when her gaze actually fell on a suitcase she had missed. She sighed and made her way over to it, before lifting it up beside Klaus onto the bed. If she had still been human, this suitcase would have been heavy. Instead it was like lifting a glass to her lips.

She still revelled in the power of being a vampire sometimes.

She shuddered as she remembered that the only person who knew how much she really relished her vampirism was the man sitting in this room right now.

Caroline unzipped the suitcase and was faced with all her makeup and jewellery. She fingered one or two things before frustration got the better of her. It was killing her that he was just sitting there, not saying anything!

"You could have at least said goodbye."

Klaus' eyes had devotedly been following Caroline's every movement since the second she had walked into the room ten minutes ago, but now they focused in on her even more.

She wasn't looking at him; simply staring at the suitcase she had just opened, but he could see the hurt in her eyes. It stung. He had not realised that anything he could do could hurt her to the degree he saw in her eyes. Short of killing her boyfriend, that is. Which reminded him.

"I thought Tyler would serve as both a graduation and a farewell gift."

Her gaze flicked over to him before returning to the contents of her suitcase.

"Yeah and wasn't that a thoughtful gift," she muttered.

Klaus frowned. Had that been sarcastic? Now he had no clue what was happening.

"You didn't want Tyler to come back?" he asked tentatively.

She stilled. She knew he was confused, but she couldn't help. Never would she be able to tell him that as soon as he had uttered the words, her heart had leapt. Not because her relationship with Tyler could continue, but because she would have the chance to put a final end it.

And maybe, just maybe, start one with someone else.

But she couldn't ever tell him that. It was too late. He had left and she'd made a decision. But there was _something_ she could tell him.

"I didn't want you to leave," she admitted, then immediately regretted choosing to say it.

She mentally cursed. Saying that to him gave him power over her. He would think that he could stay here. That everything could continue from where they'd left off.

Before he'd left.

He was wrong.

Caroline's words hit Klaus in the gut. He had never dreamed that she could feel that way, to say nothing of admitting it to him. He had no idea how to go about handling her declaration.

He would attempt reasoning.

"I confess I assumed you would understand that I wasn't about to let Tyler return while I remained."

Her head whipped around to face him. She seemed seconds away from tears.

"Why? Because you recanted your threat? You left because of _pride_?"

For the first time he couldn't meet her eyes.

"Something like that," he replied in little more than a whisper.

The truth was that he had known that he wouldn't be able to watch her be with another man after everything they had been through together. After the two times that their lips had met and his life had veered into the remarkable.

And knowing that soon after he would have to watch her go off to college and be left behind. But he wouldn't even get to play the role of the boyfriend who had to say the sad goodbye.

Because he _wasn't_ her boyfriend. And he never would be. And that thought had driven him away faster than any matter of hurt pride could.

He hadn't said goodbye because she would have demanded an explanation and as much as he liked showing her the vulnerable side of himself that he reserved solely for her, he would not have been able to tell her all this.

"Well I hope it was worth it," she snapped bitterly, breaking him out of his reverie.

He looked up again to see her busily unpacking the contents of the suitcase. It seemed to consist of mainly jewellery and makeup.

He smiled. Typical Caroline, leaving an entire suitcase for her accessories. She pulled out her curling iron before glaring at him. He realised that he'd forgotten to reply.

He nodded. "I had some business to take care of."

She snorted derisively. "You mean people to kill."

He smiled sweetly. "You know me well, sweetheart."

Caroline rolled her eyes but felt secretly pleased with his comment. She placed her curling iron in its designated position, before turning on Klaus, determined to get an answer to at least one of her original questions.

"Are you going to tell me why you're here?"

He studied her for a second, before cocking his head.

"Put that college brain to use, love! I'll give you a hint: I arrived last night," he exclaimed, before winking.

She sighed loudly before going to turn away again. She hated that he could never just give her straight answers.

As if him being him and her being her and whatever they felt for each other didn't make everything difficult enough.

She felt her arm being tugged on gently but with enough force to turn her back around.

Klaus was standing again. And he was doing so very closely to her.

"Caroline," he whispered, his familiar sweet breath wafting over her, "You."

She couldn't help it, she stopped breathing. Her chest constricted and she just couldn't be bothered to relax it again.

He was so close.

Nine months of wondering and not knowing and absence and now here he was. So close.

It would be too easy to close the infinitesimal gap between them so their lips could meet and she would once again be in her own personal heaven. Because nothing on earth compared to kissing Klaus.

He watched her stare. He wondered if just his proximity drove her crazy the way she did for him. Every nerve in his body was begging him to do one thing.

It was almost impossible to resist such an urgent request, but he waited.

He would not kiss her before he thought she was ready. And she didn't seem to be. She looked confused.

He wanted her so badly but he was sure that as usual she didn't know what she wanted. It was frustrating to say the least.

_Screw what she thinks she wants. Kiss her and she'll know_, a voice in his head said. But he couldn't listen. Caroline was different. He would never just take what he wanted from her.

The rooftop came back to him.

_I dare you._

He had to know that she was sure.

His hands balled into fists before he reluctantly stepped away from her, putting a good amount of distance between them.

He cleared his throat. "I knew you'd be returning home for your vacation."

Caroline exhaled for the first time since he'd moved towards her, which felt like years ago. The moments that had just passed, when she'd been convinced that he would kiss her, had been everything she had fantasised about for the first few weeks after he'd left.

Before the anger had taken its place.

"In that case, I guess I'll have to get my mom to sign our house over to Matt or somebody," she said, doing her best to keep her tone even.

Klaus stepped back, recoiling from her words. She wanted him unable to enter her house? She truly _was _upset with him.

"Caroline, I –" he started, finally ready to explain his motivations for leaving without a warning or greeting.

At this point it seemed nothing else would dissipate her anger.

"Klaus, go. Just go!" she shouted, loudly enough to surprise even herself.

He frowned, as confused as hurt.

Very well. He would just have to think of a different way to make her forgive him. He was a thousand years old, after all. It couldn't be too difficult.

He shot her one last look before speeding away – out of her room and out of her house.

And, Caroline hoped, out of this damn town.

* * *

"Hey Mom, any idea how long you're going to be?"

"Oh honey, I'm so sorry. Something so weird has happened here."

Caroline frowned. Her mother sounded genuinely freaked out. "Mom, what is it?"

"It's… pretty disturbing, Caroline."

"Mom," Caroline urged.

Her mother sighed. "There's a pileup on Wickery Bridge of about 15 cars. The vehicles are all from out of town and they're spattered with blood. Strangest of all, there isn't a single body."

Caroline thought she'd misheard. "No bodies?"

"None. It's pretty creepy. We're having the surrounding forest combed and after the forensics finish with the scene, we'll have to get the cars towed so the bridge can be used again."

Caroline gulped. It sounded horrific. No wonder her mother had been forced to go in.

"Wow, Mom, that sounds really grisly."

"I'm so sorry, baby."

Caroline smiled. "Mom, I get it, don't worry about it. You just find those people, OK?"

She heard her mother sigh in relief. "I love you, honey. You're so special. Take care of yourself, OK?"

Caroline agreed and said goodbye calmly but in reality she was seething. Her mother's warning was unnecessary. She knew she didn't have to be scared of the person responsible for this horror.

And after what had just happened between them, she really didn't want to have to call him. Unfortunately it didn't seem like she had much choice. The faster she found out what Klaus had done, the sooner her mother could get back home.

She sighed and got her phone out before scrolling down to Klaus' name in her contacts. He'd given it to her the time he had saved her life with a replacement prom dress.

She was about to hit dial when she heard footsteps approaching her house. Pushing her hair behind her left ear, she listened.

The visitor was a man who wore shoes that fell lightly and leisurely on the path up to her house – dress shoes. She dropped her phone on her bed and headed to the front door.

Through the glass panel she caught a glimpse of Elijah approaching. Caroline frowned.

The last time she'd seen Elijah had been the day that they'd all been stuck inside the Mikaelson mansion and before that they had hardly been besties. What was he doing here now?

She reached for the doorknob in trepidation before pulling it open. She wasn't dumb enough to step over the threshold though. She didn't know what Elijah's intentions were but inside her house there was no doubt; she was protected.

Once he had ascended her porch steps he smiled amiably before bowing his head.

"Miss Forbes."

She frowned. "Elijah."

"I apologise for calling so unexpectedly but I wish to speak with you. Would that be alright?"

Caroline felt a bit awkward. Her outfit was slightly on the gypsy side while Elijah was formal as ever in a full suit that she was pretty sure had been tailored for him.

She also stood frozen on the inside of her doorway, very obviously trying to protect herself while he stood there being all formal and gentlemanly. Besides, she'd had barely any dealings with Elijah in the past so this entire interaction was already doomed to be ten kinds of awkward.

Elijah watched her hesitate and smiled at her again. "I assure you that I mean no harm and of course I do not expect to be invited inside."

Caroline sighed. Oh well. On her gravestone they could put that she trusted handsome guys in well-tailored suits with good manners.

She mechanically first put one step over her threshold then the other. Elijah stepped aside and she made her way over to the chairs on her porch.

For the first time it registered in her mind that they were made of wood. Also known as the substance which, when driven through her heart, would kill her.

She gulped and tried to divert her thoughts to remembering all the manners she'd ever learned from her mother and for the Miss Mystic Falls Pageant.

"Please, have a seat," she offered, gesturing at the chairs. She herself sat down, knowing the gentlemanly Elijah wouldn't seat himself before she had.

"How are you, Caroline?"

Elijah stared into her eyes intensely and in that moment Caroline was convinced that he truly cared about her wellbeing. It was overwhelming and if she hadn't been on vervain she definitely would've considered the possibility of compulsion. He was just so damn earnest.

"I'm good I guess, just tired. How are you?" Caroline asked in a stilted fashion.

"Fantastic. It is great to be home again."

He shifted before gazing back at Caroline. "I believe you are attending Whitmore College. How has the experience been for you?"

Now he wanted to know about college.

"Um, pretty great, thanks."

"Have you decided on a particular course of study yet?"

"Not really," Caroline admitted.

Elijah smiled encouragingly. "Well there's no rush, is there?"

A reminder of their immortality. She nodded and he sat up straighter.

"I'm sure you're wondering why I'm here, Caroline."

The only appropriate response being 'Duh!', she remained silent.

"I have come here to invite you to my home as I wish to speak with you this evening," he came straight out with it.

Caroline blinked.

"I apologise for the last-minute nature of the invitation but I assure you that it will not take too much of your time." He paused, seemingly to wait for some sort of response but when it didn't come, he continued, "So shall I see you at around eight o' clock?"

Caroline's mind had been whirling with what he could possibly want to talk to her about, but at this she snapped out of it, managing to paste a smile on her face and nod.

Elijah grinned, clearly pleased with how smoothly this had gone. He stood up and buttoned his suit jacket before glancing at her again with a kind smile.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Miss Forbes. I look forward to our meeting tonight."

He inclined his head again, before making his way down her porch steps and speeding away so rapidly that not even her eyes could follow his movements. Damn Originals.

Somebody shared her sentiments.

"Please don't tell me an Original made it here before I did."

Caroline jumped up and leaped into his flower-bearing arms. "Tyler!"

He smiled into her hair. Her weirdly straight hair. "You look different."

She ignored the implied question, choosing to concentrate all her energy on giving him as tight a hug as possible. She had missed him so much.

So many guys on campus had reminded her of him and it would cause her heart to ache until she could talk to him again. Without him there, Skype was what had kept her sane.

He grinned as he felt her crushing his ribs then lightly pushed his girlfriend away enough so that he could plant two brief but meaningful kisses on her lips.

After their kisses she opened her eyes and smiled. His familiarity comforted her. Those chocolate eyes that had gone from goofy and unworried to the eyes of a strong and caring leader were still the same. The floppy black hair that she loved running her fingers through was still there. It felt right. Tyler might have deferred the semester of college, but he was here with her now.

And with flowers.

"You brought me flowers?"

"You like tulips, right?"

"I _love _tulips!" Caroline swooned.

Tyler grinned. "Well I hope you like crushed tulips because that's what you just did to these poor flowers."

Caroline grabbed the flowers from him, flung it on a nearby chair then hugged him again.

His familiar scent clung to the red T-shirt he was wearing and his warmth ebbed around her. She felt safe and happy.

Tyler didn't feel any different. He had really missed his girlfriend and even this town. The place he had been was nothing compared to how at home he felt in Caroline's arms.

A thought occurred to him and he pushed her away again.

"So was that an Original?"

"Yeah, Elijah," she answered, entwining her fingers with his.

"What did he want?" he asked, concerned.

"He wants me to come over tonight to talk to me."

Tyler frowned. "And you said no, right?"

Caroline sighed. "I wanted to but he was so _nice_. Besides, I figured it can't hurt to hear what he has to say, right?"

"Can't hurt? He could kill you, Caroline!"

Caroline winced at Tyler's raised voice. She knew that it was just out of concern though.

"Tyler. Calm down. Why would he go to all the trouble to come here, where he could've killed me right off, only to invite me to his house… so he can kill me?"

Tyler sighed. "I guess you're right. But I don't trust that family. I should go with you."

"Tyler, no offence, but I don't think that's the best idea. I don't want Klaus changing his mind about you."

It was true.

But furthermore she was just hell-bent on keeping Tyler and Klaus as far away from each other as possible for as long as possible. She didn't think Klaus would say anything about the two kisses they'd shared, but with him she could never be one hundred percent sure. The sheer thought of Tyler finding out about her and Klaus made her more nervous than anything else ever had.

She couldn't risk it.

Tyler sighed. "I guess you're right again."

A mischievous sparkle entered his eyes and he pulled her face closer with his hand, kissing her deeply. His other hand lefts hers to drag her close.

Caroline giggled, pulling away. "I'm not sure the porch is the best place for this."

His reply was another kiss as she heard the doorknob behind her being turned. Tyler pushed her through the doorway and they both quickly forgot the flowers.

* * *

Caroline tightened the towel around herself as she stared at the contents of her closet.

She had no idea what to wear. She didn't want to overdress seeing as she was going to Elijah's only for what he'd promised to be a quick chat, but on the other hand she felt like one could _never _be overdressed in Elijah's company.

Her mind returning to the suit he'd worn that afternoon when he'd come to visit her, she made her decision. She pulled a brand new white form-fitting shift dress from her closet. Deciding she needed something to make it a little less formal, she searched through her accessories until she found a gold chain she'd impulsively purchased in town.

She'd immediately found herself drawn to the way it appeared to be five different tangled chains. And she would be lying to herself if she said that that initial attraction hadn't had anything to do with the multiple chains Klaus always wore.

She dressed quickly, adding flat gold sandals to the outfit before checking in the mirror to approve of the finished look. She was debating curling her hair when she was distracted by Tyler calling out.

"Hey Caroline, come look who it is!"

Caroline frowned. She wasn't expecting anyone. And quite frankly, she was getting fed up with all the surprise visits.

She took a deep breath, calming herself with the fact that there was only one Mikaelson left and surely Rebekah would never come visit her.

Besides, Tyler had sounded excited.

"Coming!" Caroline screamed, quickly pressing a pair of diamond studs into her ears and making her way out of her bedroom.

She entered to the sound of much hugging, and when she saw who it was, everything made sense.

She'd been as worried about him as she had missed him.

"Matt!"

She launched into him with vampire speed as Tyler moved away and Matt caught her surprisingly skilfully, as if he were used to the act.

"Oh my god, I missed you so much!"

Matt smiled at Tyler through Caroline's hair, amused as always by her usual excessive enthusiasm.

He'd missed it.

"Caroline… still human," Matt uttered when he felt sure that she was going to break something.

"I'm sorry!" she said, pulling away. "I just can't believe it! When did you get back?"

"About a half hour ago. Rebekah brought me," Matt said, gesturing to the front door.

Caroline looked behind him, dreading seeing the blonde waiting to be invited in, but the doorway was empty.

Apparently the female Mikaelson had just dropped him off.

She turned back to Matt and he smiled at her. It was a sight she'd always loved and seeing it now stirred up so many warm and nostalgic feelings.

She'd been so worried when he had left. Despite everyone's urging for him to re-consider, he'd ridden off with the she-devil. And though unlike Klaus he had said his goodbyes, he'd also forewarned them of little communication, which he'd followed through on.

She hadn't heard from him in months and had had constant panic attacks at college about the horror that Rebekah could have been getting up to with her friend. But here he stood, admittedly human and in apparent good health.

"Care, you look great," Matt flattered, his usual charming self.

Caroline looked down at the outfit she'd just put together and smiled, realising how overdressed she now seemed in this situation. Matt was in a hoodie and both guys simply wore jeans and sneakers.

"Thanks. Elijah invited me over," she explained, rolling her eyes as if it were a huge inconvenience.

"OK, weird, guess I missed a lot. So you're leaving?"

Caroline checked her watch. She still had an hour before she had to be at the Mikaelsons'. Which was lucky otherwise she may just have blown off the Original.

She had missed Matt way too much to lose out on this opportunity to catch up.

"Nope, I still have time. God, I missed you so much! Tell me what you've been up to!" she said excitedly, leading the guys into her lounge.

They all took seats, hers as close to Matt as possible. She still couldn't believe that he was here.

"Aw man, I've been everywhere, it's insane. Rebekah knows so many great places in literally every country," he shook his head in amusement, "I can't wait for Russia, she says she has a connection for the best vodka I've ever had," he said, winking at Tyler.

Tyler laughed in understanding but Caroline's eyes widened.

"She took me to this place in Thailand that – "

"Wait, are you saying that you're leaving with Rebekah again?"

Matt looked at her, confused. "Yeah, of course. Caroline, you can't even imagine the kind of fun I've had with her. I mean, you can't even imagine how amazing the world is until you go explore it." He shook his head. "Mystic Falls kinda becomes a blip on the radar."

"So what, you're too good for us now?" Caroline asked in surprise, far more worked up than she probably should have been considering she'd technically left as well.

Matt laughed his small humble laugh.

"Of course not. I'm just saying that it's amazing to see what else is out there. This will always be my home," he said, grabbing Caroline's hand and giving it a significant squeeze, "but right now I'm having a lot of fun with Rebekah. She's been incredible, showing me all these things. Footing the bill," he said, winking at Tyler conspiratorially again.

Caroline gritted her teeth. "And what _exactly_ is going on between you and Rebekah?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Caroline pulled her hand away from his to fold her arms, clearly indicating that this had become an interrogation.

"Are you guys, like, _dating_?"

"No, we're not dating," Matt said, shifting uncomfortably.

Caroline narrowed her eyes at him, analysing his every movement. He was starting tense under her accusing gaze.

"Look, we got pretty close, alright? But we're not _dating_. We haven't labelled it or anything," Matt said a little shyly, a small smile playing on his lips as he stared off.

Tyler smirked. "Dude you totally tapped that."

Caroline gasped. "Tyler!"

Tyler held up his hands in innocence but Matt returned his grin.

Caroline recoiled. "You _slept _with _Rebekah_?"

Matt sighed. "Caroline, just calm down, ok?" He took a deep breath. "Look, I get that you think she's a horrible person and that she's done some pretty terrible things to you, but she's always been good to me."

"You mean except for the time she tried to kill you when she ran you off Wickery Bridge, right?" Caroline snapped bitterly.

Matt sighed again. "She didn't mean to hurt me. And I've forgiven her for that."

He leaned forward towards Caroline. "Away from this crazy town and her family crap, she's a different person, Caroline. She's smart and knows so much about everything. Never mind the fact that she's pretty much indestructible. Her priorities no matter where we were or what we were doing, was to keep me safe and having a good time. She cares about me. And I don't know what 'we' are or if there even _is _a 'we' but I do know I care about her too."

He'd seemed to be in a bit of a trance as he spoke about Rebekah but now he snapped out of it, seeming to want to make the moment light again.

"And I know I definitely wanna do some more free traveling!"

Matt and Tyler shared another smile as they waited with baited breaths for Caroline's response. She sat looking at Matt with an unreadable expression on her face.

Matt really wanted Caroline's understanding and approval. She still held a special place in his heart and he wanted her approval about the life choices he was making, no matter how unconventional they may be.

"Did Rebekah compel you?" she finally burst out.

Matt's eyes widened almost comically in a mixture of horror and hurt.

Tyler cleared his throat. "Caroline could I talk to you for a sec?" he requested, inclining his head towards the kitchen.

When she remained staring at Matt in pure incomprehension, Tyler went up to her and tugged at her arm.

"_Caroline_."

Caroline huffed before standing up and following him into the kitchen.

"You aren't actually buying that, are you?" Caroline screeched.

"Could you keep your voice down? Matt's not a vampire but he can still hear you shouting."

"Ugh, it just makes me so _mad_. She's got him _completely_ brainwashed."

Tyler shrugged. "I don't know, Care. Maybe whatever's going on between them is genuine."

"Seriously?" Caroline exclaimed. "A few hours ago you said that you don't trust that entire family!"

"Yeah well that was before I saw him talk about her." Tyler sighed. "Caroline, Matt's been my best friend since we were kids and the only other time I've seen him look like that was when it was about Elena."

"Gee thanks, what was I, chopped liver?" Caroline responded pettily.

Tyler smiled, grabbing her arm and pulling her in.

"No… you were just meant for me." He placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "Maybe we should give this a chance. Matt deserves it, right?"

She pulled away. "No. Matt deserves better. And I'm _not_ going to let her ruin his life."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Caroline," Matt said, entering the kitchen.

Caroline's face fell when she realised that he'd heard what she'd said, before she immediately reverted to her offensive mode.

"Matt, even if everything you're saying is true and she's _not_ going to end up getting you killed – which I think is highly likely, for the record – you still can't just travel the world with her indefinitely!"

"Why not, Caroline? It's not like anybody else in this town gives a damn about me!"

"That is _not_ fair."

"No, you know what's not fair? You judging what you don't even understand." He paused as he shot a brief glance towards Tyler. "Or maybe it's that you understand a little too well."

Caroline's heart stopped. He was talking about Klaus.

Matt was like that. He was quiet and sometimes flew so far under the radar that it was easy to forget about him, but he kinda just sat back watching everybody. And he ended up knowing way more than you thought he did.

His words had the incredibly annoying effect of making her question why she really was so dead set against this relationship. She suddenly didn't feel as sure as she'd been a minute ago.

But it didn't matter. She had to do her best to put an end to this craziness.

"Matt, this so isn't about me. You can go off with Rebekah for ten years and it'll feel like a few minutes to her but that's going to be ten years of your life gone! You'll never be able to get those back. You'll have missed college and you'll have to find somebody to marry and have kids with, and Rebekah will go on living for eternity. And that's _if_ she lets you go or doesn't turn you against your will! You're human, Matt. No, I _don't_ think Rebekah deserves you but it's more than that. You're human and she's immortal and that means that she'll never be able to be with you the way that you deserve to be with someone. And I'm sorry, but that's just the way I feel."

She'd watched Matt's face progressively fall with her every word and by now he looked utterly distraught.

Yet somehow he still managed to offer her one of his small smiles.

"It was nice to see you, Caroline," he said softly before walking out.

"Hey man, you need a lift?" Tyler asked.

"Thanks but I could use the walk," Matt called back.

He sounded down. Caroline hated herself for doing that to him but she'd only spoken the truth. He'd needed to hear it.

She glanced at Tyler, who was staring at her. "What?"

"Nothing. That was just a little cold."

Caroline crossed her arms defensively. "It was true."

"Is that really how you feel about marriage and kids?"

She met his eyes. "Yes. For Matt. We're different. But we're OK with that, right?"

Tyler's gaze dropped to the ground. "Yeah, sure."

Caroline frowned and was about to query his uncertain-seeming answer when he spoke up.

"So what do you think Matt's gonna do?"

She pushed some hair behind her ear, considering.

"I think he'll realise that what I said makes sense and break off whatever madness he has going on with Rebekah."

"So confident," Tyler teased.

"That's because I'm right. There's nothing he can do but see that," Caroline huffed.

"And what are you going to do when Rebekah comes around to stake you for pitting Matt against her?" Tyler asked, still mocking her.

Caroline smiled and laid her head against his warm chest, wrapping her arms around him.

"Won't invite her in?"

"Good, solid, long term plan."

Caroline grinned up at him and he shook his head in amusement before kissing her.

He pulled away when a thought occurred to him.

"You know, speaking of murderous Mikaelsons, I'm pretty sure you have a date with one soon," he joked.

Caroline glanced at the clock on the kitchen wall, her eyes widening. "Shoot! I have to go!"

She was about to head off to grab her cellphone and car keys when he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her in close again.

"Hey. Be careful."

He placed a quick peck on her lips.

Caroline grinned at him before speeding off.

* * *

"You're back!" Matt heard Rebekah call out with that British lilt as he stepped into the hotel room.

Rounding the corner, he caught sight of her on the large cream sofa. She looked gorgeous as usual in a blood red dress.

He nodded. "Yeah. Wasn't expecting you to beat me, though."

Rebekah smirked. "I made Nik get to the point."

Matt raised an eyebrow as he dropped down beside her. "And what was the point?"

Rebekah sighed. She doubted that Matt would like this.

"He and Elijah have decided to settle here permanently. He wants me to as well."

"What did you say?"

"I laughed to his face till he proposed something slightly less ridiculous."

Matt smirked. He loved Rebekah's feistiness. It made everything she did seem like it mattered a thousand times more because she cared so much about it. So it wasn't all that surprising that being with her made him feel like _he _mattered a thousand times more.

"Which was?"

She took a deep breath. "He asked me to stay for a while."

"How long's 'a while'?" Matt asked suspiciously.

"Matt, I wanted to say no, but…" She sighed. "Three weeks."

Matt regarded her silently for a few moments. No doubt Klaus had used the obligation she always felt towards family to prompt her into staying. And Matt understood that. If Vicki had still been around, he probably would have done anything she asked him to.

Besides, it was only three weeks.

Watching him think, Rebekah hastened to add, "Matt, I only said yes because I thought you might like being around for Caroline's vacation. It's only until the end of it."

He opened his mouth but she interrupted: "I can call him right now and say I've changed my mind if you're not OK with it."

Matt closed his mouth before reaching over to grab hold of both her forearms with his hands. He gripped them in what he hoped was a comforting gesture.

"Babe, calm down. It's OK. That sounds cool – it was nice seeing my friends tonight."

He watched Rebekah's face soften and felt her relax under his touch. She loved it when he called her 'babe'. She still found it to be a novelty despite the fact that they had been unofficially dating for six months now.

Their global trip had begun as neutrally as she had thought it would be for its duration, but eventually he'd realised the extent of her feelings for him and in return had stopped denying his own.

Matt was everything to her now. No other man had made ever her feel the way that she did for him. Alexander had hated her for what she was. Stefan had desired her because of their shared bloodlust. Countless others had meant so little that her memories of them were fleeting and almost unrecognisable.

Matt was different. He liked her the way she was. She didn't have to hide a single side of herself.

Initially he'd held some issue with her vampirism, but even that he had come to accept. Rebekah found the speed at which he adjusted to be marvellous. She had repeatedly witnessed it first-hand in their time together – like in Beijing, when he had taken to eating with chopsticks in the most amusingly enthusiastic manner.

He was never mean to her, which meant that her paranoid side never had to wonder about why he was always being so nice to her. That was just who he was.

Better yet, Matt made her feel different. Good. And when she was with him she wanted to be good.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Yeah, we'll just…" he looked around the hotel room dramatically, "stay here, I guess."

Rebekah laughed. "If you want to stay at your house, I wouldn't mind. Or even mine," she added, remembering the house she had impulsively bought to get away from her brother.

He smiled sweetly. "I'll think about it."

She returned his smile and tried her best not to get lost in the icy blue depths of his eyes. It was a battle she lost constantly.

Matt moved closer slowly and placed a soft kiss on her lips.

"I missed you. It's been awhile since we haven't been together 24/7," he said jokingly.

She inhaled, opening her eyes when his lips left hers.

"I missed you too."

She stood up and headed to the liquor cabinet. She had a feeling that his answer to her next question would require a drink to get through. The other blonde had never liked her.

"How was Caroline's?"

"I was gonna talk to you about that."

She stopped in her tracks. That sounded worse than she'd been expecting.

"What do you mean?" she asked, without turning around.

"Caroline said something." He hesitated. "Come sit down?"

She moved back towards the sofa at a purposefully slow pace, even by human standards. Not even the appraising look Matt gave her as she approached him could divert her attention from the cold hand gripping her undead heart.

"That girl should really learn to keep her mouth shut," Rebekah snapped, dropping back onto the sofa.

Her mind raced. Surely there was nothing Caroline could have told Matt that would turn him against her.

During the past few months she had shared everything with him. Even several of the terrible things she'd done in the past. However, a thousand years was a long time to cover, no matter how much time you had. Could Caroline have found something particularly terrible in Rebekah's past and relayed it to Matt?

Then again, she couldn't think of anything she had done that was worse than what she had told Matt about already.

Perhaps Caroline had just turned him against her by sowing seeds of doubt in his mind.

The steady gaze Matt regarded her with was riddled with uncertainty.

"Well? What was it?"

Her voice betrayed the edge she felt she was standing on. If vampires could get dizzy, she knew that was what she would be feeling now.

Her heart leapt into her throat when Matt sighed deeply as if he were making mammoth life choices.

She knew that they had never technically labelled what they were and that she should have been prepared for him to walk away at any time, but she also knew she wouldn't be able to live with that. It wasn't fair to know that kind of happiness, only to have it ripped away from you.

Matt watched the million thoughts race through Rebekah's mind. Truth be told, there were just as many running through his own, but he'd come to know her – she was jumping to conclusions.

"Babe, calm down."

"I would if you'd stop staring at me and spit it out."

She wasn't really upset, just scared. So was he.

"I'm sorry. I kind of just don't know where to start, you know?"

"How about where you left off, then: what exactly was it that Caroline said?"

Right. Matt took a deep breath.

"Caroline, she said… she reminded me that I'm human, Rebekah. That I don't have the rest of forever to go off exploring the world. I have an average of maybe fifty more years to go," he smiled, "and I should probably fill them with college and marriage and…" he felt insensitive saying this, but it had to be said, "kids. And those are things I want, Rebekah. And I can't do them as a human travelling the world with a vampire."

He gazed into her eyes and saw her whole world falling apart.

It wasn't an entirely new experience. During the past few months every time he'd announced he had bad news, she would get that dejectedly fearful look in her eyes, like she thought he was leaving her. And every time all he could do was wonder how many times this poor girl had been disappointed like that in her one thousand years.

She looked down at her hands. "Well, Caroline was right for once. You deserve all those things, Matt," she said quietly.

He was silent for a few seconds, wondering how to continue.

"I've never wanted to be a vampire. I mean honestly, it's unnatural. Then I watched Caroline and Elena handle it and it didn't seem so terrible, you know? But I still hated vampirism. Because my sister died because of it. Because of all the messed up shit that happens in this town. And I thought that's what being a vampire is about."

Rebekah didn't understand where he was going with all this. Why couldn't he just be like every other guy, saying the bare minimum before leaving her alone with her broken heart? Of course, Matt was not every other guy. She knew that in her heart – the heart that would be ten times more broken than it had ever been exactly because of that.

"But then I spent the past few months with you, Rebekah, and I realised how great being a vampire could be. Outside of this one messed up town, with an amazing person by your side, being a vampire doesn't have to be the worst thing in the world."

Rebekah frowned, unsure what Mat was working towards, but she had to let him know what he meant to her.

"Matt, you did the same for me."

And it was true. She would have expected his presence to increase her desperation to become human, but instead that desire just vanished. She was completely comfortable being herself with him.

He smiled. "And I forgot I was human. When we're together it doesn't feel like we're different. It just feels… right."

He grabbed a hold of her hand, enveloping it between his own two. Rebekah smiled as tears began to drop down her cheeks. She wasn't sure whether they were happy ones or not yet, but she knew that she couldn't even allow herself to hope for the former.

"And then we came here and Caroline said those things to me and I realised: I can't keep doing what I've been doing with you for the rest of forever. Because I don't have the rest of forever."

He looked down briefly, then back up at her. "But then I thought: if I did, I'd wanna spend it with you."

Rebekah sat speechless, her eyes widening.

"Rebekah," he said, looking down at his lap shyly, "_I want to spend the rest of forever with you_."

Still with a firm grasp on her hand, he shifted down off the sofa and onto the ground. Rebekah watched with even wider eyes as he positioned himself on one of his knees.

She couldn't believe this was happening. Her mind raced. This _was _Matt, right? Yes – Silas was firmly out of the picture. But how could this be? How could she, Rebekah, ever get this kind of happiness?

"I'm pretty sure vampires don't really do this, but you said I deserved all those things. And I'm not a vampire… yet. So," he looked up, their eyes meeting, "will you marry me, Rebekah?"

Rebekah's mouth opened and closed soundlessly. She still didn't understand how this was happening.

"I love you, babe," he urged.

At that she launched herself off the sofa at him. "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! _Yes_, I'll marry you!"

Matt laughed, sure that Rebekah had forgotten her own strength as she fell on top of him and they both went sprawling.

She looked down from atop him. "Are you being completely serious right now?"

Matt smiled. "I'm being completely serious, Rebekah."

She grinned down at him in response before pressing her lips to his. His hand moved up her bare leg and underneath her dress and they kissed until both of them needed to take a breath.

Rebekah smiled down at him. "Do you realise that you just made me happier than I've been for _one thousand years_?"

His only response was a grin. It was the grin of a nice guy. The nice guy that she was in love with.

He pulled her dress up over her head before shifting them over so he was on top. He placed a warm hand over the black lace bra she was wearing before meeting her lips with his own once again.

She giggled, before frowning as a thought occurred to her.

"Matt, we can get married and you'll have thousands of years to attend college, but we can never have children. You're aware of that, right?"

It was the last obstacle that stood between them and she knew it was something that could drive an immoveable wedge into any relationship.

"Babe, I know exactly what I'm getting into. We'll adopt," he said easily, beaming, before he proceeded to kiss her in a way that left no room for further interruptions.

* * *

If you're a Mabekah fan, I hope you liked that. If not, I hope you didn't suffer too much ;)

Just to clarify, because I won't be writing more such extensive Mabekah parts, Matt and Rebekah are now officially engaged and Matt's decided to become a vampire so that he can be with her forever in a place that's not Mystic Falls, i.e. she won't be turning him before they leave. This may all seem a bit rushed but this story kicks off 9 months after 4x23 so they've been together for quite a while now.

Did the Klaroline part live up to your expectations from the sneak peek in _I Dare You_? Let me know!

This is just the first chapter to re-introduce all the characters and where they stand with each other so I apologise for the length and/or some boring Forwood bits. But there are upcoming chapters with way more Klaroline so don't worry!

Lyrics are from You're So Vain by Carly Simon, which you may remember as the song from How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days, the movie Klaus and Caroline watch together in _I Dare I Dare You_.

Review pretty please J

P.S. I didn't want to add this at the beginning since the note was already so long, but this chapter was dedicated to thingsthatstopusdreaming on Tumblr who left me the coolest and most flattering message and made me even keener to get this out ASAP.


	2. Chapter 2

Haha this is going to seem so much shorter in comparison to the last one, but like I said, the first one was just extra incredibly long. 5000 will be about the average amount of words I'll be doing per chapter, although there are times when I go crazy and have 8000.

This chapter is dedicated to a Guest reviewer who, in answer to my Elena question in _I Dare You_, said that the reason Elena didn't want to answer her Truth was because she wanted Elijah now, not either of the Salvatores. That made me LOL because I crackship Elejah. Since this chapter has just the tiniest of allusions to that, this one goes out to you, awesome Guest Reviewer :)

* * *

**Chapter 2: Scout's Honour**

_I'm strong on the surface, not all the way through_

_I've never been perfect_

_But neither have you_

Caroline had to run practically every red light en route while thanking her lucky stars that the Sheriff was her mother, but she made it to the Mikaelson mansion just in time. She couldn't help feeling that being punctual for her meeting with Elijah was of the utmost importance since he seemed like the kind of person who had never been late for anything.

Still, she couldn't help taking a second to admire the magnificence that was Klaus' house. Not only because of the architecture, either.

Being here at night reminded her of the night she had asked Klaus to kiss her.

_Dared_ him to.

And then the way his eyes had lit so brilliantly in the dark – seemingly only from her request. A strange thing – but in a town of vampires, werewolves, hybrids, doppelgängers, and witches, certainly not the strangest.

His intense eyes was the last sight she was treated to before he'd pulled her over the edge with him – the edge of sanity, the edge of reality, the edge of everything she'd ever known or thought she'd known.

Because the way she felt when their lips touched was nothing she ever felt. Never before and never since.

It made her shift in her seat just to think about it. She still had no idea how long he had kissed her for. Only that it had simultaneously been an eternity and not long enough.

But she couldn't be thinking like that right now. He would be inside and she was still mad at him. She couldn't afford to show any sign of weakness.

Caroline took two deep breaths to steady herself. She performed one last makeup check before stepping out of her car and speeding up the walkway.

The front door opened before she'd had the chance to knock, behind which stood Elijah, smiling at her in the same manner he had this afternoon. He looked suave with his perfectly styled hair and wearing a three-piece black suit with a deep purple vest. And naturally paired with a matching tie which combined the two colours in a most tasteful fashion.

He bowed his head a little. "Miss Forbes. Welcome to my home. Allow me to say that you look lovely."

Caroline smiled. He had such an old way of speaking and while she loved it, she couldn't help but compare this man to his brother. While Klaus always looked amazing, it was usually in a way that suggested he hadn't put that much thought into it. Elijah was kind and welcoming in a way that Klaus never was. She supposed that came from being the older brother.

"Thank you, Elijah. You look dashing yourself," she replied, trying to speak the same way he did just for fun.

She idly wondered where Klaus was.

Elijah took her lightly by the elbow and led her through the passage and into the foyer that overlooked the dining room table where Klaus sat.

The table where Klaus sat with a very familiar face.

"Elena? _What_ is going on here?" Caroline demanded, ripping her arm away from Elijah's slight grip on it.

At the shocked expression on her best friend's face she surveyed the room again. The table was set for a candlelit dinner… for two. So Elijah hadn't led her here on some false pretence.

"My apologies, Caroline. I would like to speak with you upstairs," he said, gesturing the way forward, "Niklaus is just having Elena over for dinner."

"And since when does _Niklaus _do that?" she snapped.

"Caroline, calm down, it's OK," Elena said. "I'm here willingly. He invited me over to talk."

"…Oh," Caroline sniffed.

"I'm hurt, Elena darling. Would I ever make you do anything unwillingly?" Klaus said, to the answer of everyone else in the room rolling their eyes. "Hello to you too, Caroline. You look stunning as usual."

Caroline pursed her lips before making her way towards the staircase that Elijah had pointed towards.

She wasn't sure how she felt about this. Upon first entering, she'd thought that all this had been an elaborate ploy of Klaus' to get her to have dinner with him. She had even worried for Elena's safety.

She heard Elena laugh now and it confirmed her new suspicion – she was just jealous.

Elijah opened a door before her which led into a study. Her cheeks burned as she realised how foolish she must have appeared to Elijah just now.

"Elijah… I'm sorry about the scene I just caused," she said shamefacedly, not sure of a more eloquent way to phrase it.

"Nonsense. Your confusion is understandable. I should be apologising; I should have warned you that Elena would be here."

How gentlemanly. She smiled and nodded her head thankfully. She was really starting to like Elijah. It seemed that no matter how badly she acted, he still treated her with the utmost discipline and respect. In other words, the complete opposite of his brother.

"Please, have a seat. May I offer you a drink?"

"No, thanks," Caroline replied, sitting down on a leather sofa.

He sat down opposite her. "I trust you enjoyed your afternoon."

Caroline blushed as she thought of Tyler. She understood this custom though. He was enquiring after her health since the last time they'd seen each other.

"Yes, thank you. What about you?"

He smirked, evidently re-living a memory of his own.

"Yes, it was quite amusing."

She cocked her head, wondering what it took to amuse Elijah.

"How so?"

He seemed to be trying desperately not to laugh. "Let's just say… my brother can be quite the handful when he is obsessing about something."

Caroline snickered despite having no background knowledge to what he was talking about. She could imagine a scenario like that with Klaus could be entertaining. Still, the jealousy crept back in as she wondered what exactly he'd been obsessing about.

"Caroline, as I said, I have no intention of keeping you. Had I thought you'd have any interest in remaining in a strange house on your first day back home I would have arranged dinner for us as well. I hope you take no offense."

She smiled and shook her head. "No, of course not. That's actually really considerate, thanks."

He smiled too, genuinely seeming to take her appreciation to heart.

"Thus I'll get to the point. Perhaps you'll think that we've made quite the fanfare about nothing, but along with wanting to speak to you ladies in the comfort of our own home with no prying ears, we also wanted to test how much you trusted us. I'm very pleased with both you and Elena coming."

"How _did_ Klaus get Elena to come?" Caroline asked curiously.

She knew that Klaus was pretty much Elena's least favourite person in the world.

The amused expression crossed Elijah's features again.

"Not without many violent threats, I can assure you. Fortunately for us, there is only one object on earth which we can be killed by but there is an unlimited amount of wood that can put an end to the Salvatore brothers."

Thinking of Stefan, the words riled her up a bit, but it made sense that the Mikaelsons would've had to use significant threats for the Salvatores to allow Elena to enter the lion's den alone. They trusted the Originals even less than Tyler did.

"But Elena agreed quickly?" Caroline asked, remembering what Elijah had just said about being pleased with her and Elena.

"Yes," a look of what Caroline could swear was pride, passed over Elijah's face, "she trusts me."

Caroline nodded, remembering her own actions this afternoon. "You're easy to trust."

"Thank you, Caroline," he said, smiling warmly at her.

"But you still haven't told me why I'm here."

"Of course! Forgive me. As you may know, Miss Forbes, my brother and I have decided to move back to Mystic Falls and settle here permanently. Our recent trip away made us far more appreciative of the charm of this town. And it is our home, after all."

Caroline sat backwards, shocked. The idea hadn't crossed her mind that they might be staying for good.

Elijah watched her expression change. "This is news to you?"

"Yeah, I had no idea."

Elijah shook his head. "My brother seems to forget himself completely when he's with you."

"I'll take that as a compliment," she said, somewhat defensively.

He laughed. "Trust me, Caroline, you should."

Caroline frowned. It suddenly occurred to her that she was actually having a functioning conversation with a Mikaelson. He answered her every question immediately, as honestly as possible. It was something she rarely had with Klaus.

"What's wrong?" Elijah asked.

"Nothing," she replied, but when she looked up she could tell that he didn't believe her.

Besides, he deserved as much honesty as he was giving her.

"It's just, conversations with Klaus are never this easy: you know, question, answer, question, answer. He always deflects and turns it around on me or asks a question. I was starting to think it was the Mikaelson way," she joked. "This is refreshing."

Elijah smirked. "Caroline, I beseech you never to take anything that my brother does as representative of my family."

Caroline laughed. "Will do."

With a jolt she realised that Klaus could definitely hear every word that they were saying right now. Suddenly she felt uncomfortable.

"In conclusion, the only reason my brother and myself have invited you ladies over this evening is to treat you as messengers, of a sort. My family wishes nobody in this town any harm and we expect the same in return. All we want is to lead a normal life here."

Wait. _That _was the reason her and Elena were here?

"Your positions of esteem – the Salvatores seeming to be under Elena's… influence and you being the sheriff's daughter – made the selection simple." he further elaborated

"So all you want us to do is tell my mom and the rest of our friends that you don't want to cause anyone any trouble?"

"Precisely."

"And you needed two of us to achieve that?"

Elijah had begun to pace the room slowly, but now he turned to face her, smirking.

"I hope you don't mind me saying so, but I see what it is about you that takes my brother's fancy, Caroline."

"Honestly that makes one of us then," Caroline replied, flustered.

Elijah smiled secretively. He headed over to a gramophone in the corner of the study before turning his back to her. Soon the room was filled with the high rich notes of jazz at a volume that was definitely inappropriate in a room where two people were having a conversation. But of course they weren't just two normal people.

Elijah began to speak again, at the same volume that he'd been using the whole time. A human wouldn't have been able to discern what he was saying but Caroline heard him clearly.

"I hope you don't mind," he said, gesturing towards the gramophone.

Caroline shook her head and he smiled before placing a hand in his pants' pocket and leaning against a wall.

"Caroline, your beauty is incredible, of course, but I'm positive my brother's affection runs further than skin deep." He smiled. "You're intelligent, a pleasure to be around and very talented at weeding through the personas people project for themselves. In other words, you cut through to the heart of a matter. More specifically, my brother's heart, I think."

She suddenly became aware of Elijah's reasoning behind the music: Elena wouldn't be able to hear their conversation. Again she was struck by how considerate Elijah was; he understood that this was sensitive personal territory for her.

"You have captured his attention because you are unlike any other, Caroline." He smiled in affection, but she wasn't sure for whom. "And he's lived for a thousand years."

She ducked her head. It was the same realisation she had come to the night she had dared Klaus to kiss her. It was still just as overwhelming.

One thousand years.

One thousand years and she was the one. The notion boggled her mind and left her breathless.

"I so looked forward to our conversations today. I wanted to get to know the woman who could affect the changes in my brother which I have witnessed. And quite frankly, it all makes sense now."

Her cheeks burned and she cursed the fact that vampires could still blush.

Then she realised something. As awkward as it might end up being, she finally had the chance to ask some questions that had been nagging at her for a while – from someone whom she was sure would give her real answers.

"Elijah? What was Tatia like?"

"The first Petrova doppelganger?" he frowned in surprise. "She was…" he trailed off as he stared absently at an object in the distance.

It was a few moments before he looked at her again.

"She was very unlike you," he finally finished with a grimace.

Caroline didn't think that sounded like a good thing. Elijah snickered at seemingly nothing and she frowned.

"What?"

"Niklaus said he thanks his lucky stars for that."

Caroline cocked her head. The loud music had momentarily caused her to forget that Klaus was still listening in on their conversation, though she supposed that it should never have left her mind, what with her experience of having fled to the roof with him in order to escape Original hearing.

"Why?" Caroline asked, confused.

Tatia had been the first woman Klaus had been in love with, after all.

Elijah shrugged slightly, suddenly looking far less amused. "I surmise it has something to do with her untimely demise."

"What happened?"

Elijah seemed pained as he replied. "My mother killed her and used her blood in the ritual that turned us into vampires. Hence the existence of doppelgangers."

Caroline's eyes widened. "Your _mother_?"

Attempting to seem nonchalant, Elijah shrugged but Caroline could see that the memory still stung.

"She sought to end the feud between myself and Niklaus. I assume she didn't want it to continue for eternity once we'd inevitably turned Tatia as well."

"Wow. I'm sorry, Elijah. For Tatia and your mother. It doesn't really sound like she was the easiest person to get along with," Caroline said tentatively, hoping he didn't take offense.

His gaze intensified and she shifted. "You really are something, Caroline," he said, smiling lightly.

His tone was affectionate so she supposed he hadn't been offended by her statement.

"However, there is no need for you to apologise on my mother's behalf. I'm sure you must have noticed a certain common thread of… intensity within my siblings. That had to come from somewhere."

Suddenly it _did_ all fall into place. All the Mikaelsons she had met were insane in at least some way. Klaus was the worst of them all.

But now everything made a disturbing amount of sense. Their mother had murdered a woman they'd been in love with and their father had hunted them for a thousand years. If Caroline were honest with herself, it was enough to drive anyone mad. She hadn't had the healthiest family ever but she'd always felt loved and her parents had never betrayed her like that.

"But what about you?"

Elijah smirked, amused. "What _about _me?"

"You seem so… different," she said, wanting to elaborate further, but faltered, unable to add any real description to her words.

Most of her experience with Elijah had taken place in this one day but she still just had a feeling that there was something different about him. Something better.

Elijah stuck his other hand in his pocket as he slowly began to approach her.

"Caroline, there was a time when I bore a firm belief in Nature over Nurture. I made it my goal to live by a code of honour and to rise above the baser characteristics which my parents attempted to instil within me." He smiled secretively. "But of course that was before my Nature was something worse than my Nurture."

Caroline smiled too. Vampirism. It changed everything. If there was anyone who knew that, it was her.

"Elijah, this has been really been very enlightening. Thank you," she said, moving to stand.

He caught her hand and helped her up, before planting a quick kiss on it.

"Thank _you_, Miss Forbes. This was so pleasant; don't be surprised if I seek an audience with you again in the near future."

Caroline felt like she should curtsy or something, but she resisted the absurd urge and just kept grinning stupidly at him. He did the subtle head bow again before leading her out of the study.

It was only when she got back to the foyer and the view of Klaus and Elena dining together, when the calm aura left her and she began to see red again.

"You two look cosy," Caroline observed pettily as she crossed her arms from afar.

Elena looked up in surprise and it bothered Caroline that Elena had been so engrossed in whatever her and Klaus had been discussing that she hadn't even heard Caroline descend the stairs.

"Caroline!"

"Caroline," Klaus said, also bowing his head as his brother had done several times today, a small smile playing at his lips but something more complex obvious in his eyes.

Caroline wanted to groan at herself for all the brain power she spent analysing Klaus' facial expressions.

She sensed Elijah's presence behind her and watched Elena sit up straighter.

"Caroline, do you think you could give me a lift home?" Elena asked before glancing at Klaus. "I can go now, right?" she asked in what Caroline perceived to be a slightly weary tone.

"Of course, love. I just hope you enjoyed dinner."

It peeved Caroline to hear Klaus call Elena 'love'.

"Well, how did you get here?" Caroline almost demanded, still pretty pettily.

"Klaus drove me," Elena replied lightly.

"Well, wasn't that _nice_ of him," Caroline responded in her most sarcastic tone, doing her best to avoid Klaus' eyes. "Sure, Elena. The car's right outside."

Elena was practically out the door already, followed closely by Elijah, when she turned back to Klaus. "Thanks for dinner, I guess."

"You're most welcome, love," Klaus replied, applying his most charming smile before Elena walked out, accompanied by the older Mikaelson.

Klaus turned to her. "Nice chat, darling?"

"Definitely better than any one I've ever had with you," Caroline answered, re-folding her arms.

His eyes turned dangerous but a smile still played at his lips. It was trademark Klaus and a part of his personality that she really loved, if she was honest. That unpredictability was like his own personal vampire switch. You never knew how fast or when he could change. She liked the dangerous thrill of it, as frustrating as his mercurial moods could be sometimes.

"Now that hurts, love."

"Ugh," she said, tossing her hair and beginning to follow the beeline Elena had made for the door.

All of a sudden his hand was on her bare arm, pulling her back. She turned back around, coming face to face with him.

"What?" she snapped.

"Don't tell me you're still mad."

"No, your far more polite brother actually treating me decently today really made me want to forgive _you_," she shot sarcastically.

He sighed. "There's no reason to be like that."

She wondered idly if Elena was fine outside with Elijah. Normally she would listen in but she was so caught up in Klaus right now.

It bothered her a little that every time he was near her she found it hard to concentrate on anything else. He smelled so good and his scent reminded her of so many other things, like the indescribable feeling of his lips on hers. She gulped and took a few steps backward.

"Just leave me alone, OK?"

"I'm sorry I didn't say goodbye, Caroline," he looked at her, his eyes bearing that expression that she always felt would be more suited on a puppy than the big bad hybrid.

And although it melted her heart just the same, she wasn't going to be giving in that easily.

"Are you sorry about those people on Wickery Bridge too?" she snapped, changing the subject whilst simultaneously trying to remind herself of the monster that he could be.

Her rebuttal seemed to first confuse then amuse him though.

"Yeah about that, you should probably tell your mother to check the Mystic Grill. I'm sure by this now it contains some very confused car owners."

Caroline frowned, confused. "…Are you saying that all the people that those cars belong to are at the _Grill_?"

He nodded. "I compelled them to stay there while I… borrowed their cars. I suspected that the license plates alone would have the police scratching their heads for some time."

"What about all the blood?"

"My own."

Caroline recoiled in shock. "So… you didn't kill anyone?"

"Not even a bunny. Scout's Honour," he said, smiling charmingly.

"But… why? Why would you go to all that trouble?" Caroline asked, stunned.

He stepped in closer to her again, his eyes intensifying. "I wanted to talk to you alone, of course."

Caroline breathed shallowly. "I don't know what to say."

"'Sorry you went to all that trouble and I was so mean to you'?" he suggested teasingly.

Caroline rolled her eyes but smiled. "Good night, Klaus."

He took a step back, his eyes sparkling. "Good night, Caroline."

It was when she had crossed the threshold that she realised he'd effectively made her completely forget how mad she was at him. She was shaking her head in amused disbelief when she noticed Elena and Elijah. They were standing next to Caroline's car and Elijah's hand was on Elena's arm. Caroline cocked her head, hoping to eavesdrop, but just then they both turned toward her. Damn vampire hearing. Elijah's hand dropped down to his side and he took a step back. It reminded Caroline of the identical action his brother had just performed.

"Good evening, Elena," Elijah greeted grandly, before approaching Caroline. "I truly appreciate you accepting my invitation, Caroline. I hope that we can do this again. I trust you will get home safely."

Caroline nodded curtly and smiled, not entirely sure how to respond to his incredibly polite speech. She thought he might take her lack of reply offensively but he simply walked on looking somewhat flustered.

Caroline's forehead wrinkled as she approached Elena. She narrowed her eyes at Elena, already knowing that her friend was going to try and avoid the topic. Sure enough, Elena turned away from Caroline's glare.

"The car wasn't open," Elena complained.

Caroline huffed and folded her arms. She wasn't letting Elena into her car until she had some sort of indication about what had just happened. Elena turned back around, annoyed. Seeing Caroline's stance, she rolled her eyes and smiled, gesturing for them to get into the car and she'd spill. Caroline grinned, satisfied.

* * *

"So then why was his hand on you?" Caroline asked suspiciously.

Elena had relayed that Elijah had basically just enquired about how her dinner with Klaus had gone and how her life and college was in general. Apparently Klaus hadn't allowed much conversation between the two once he'd arrived home with her. Caroline had frowned, oddly annoyed at that.

"Honestly Caroline, I didn't even realise that he had it there until he took it away," Elena replied, shrugging.

"Then why'd you two look so suspicious when you saw me?" Caroline asked triumphantly.

"Maybe you were wearing an especially judgey expression," Elena rebutted sarcastically.

Caroline rolled her eyes at how much of a Damon thing that was to say. He was really starting to rub off on her best friend and it bugged her. Speaking of which…

"Elena, you know how I feel about Damon. So if you have the hots for the eldest Original, I would totallynot judge you," Caroline said, smiling at Elena whilst wiggling her eyebrows.

Elena giggled. "You're insane." Caroline laughed too before Elena turned to look at her seriously. "But what exactly is going on between you and the _other _Original brother?"

Caroline shot a quick glance at Elena, then trained her eyes back on the road, gripping the steering wheel tightly.

"I just don't understand why they had to have both of us there," Caroline said, half-ignoring Elena's question.

She felt Elena's eyes on her as she guessed Elena tried to figure out why she was hedging the question.

Elena cleared her throat. "I know, I can't believe Klaus practically forced me into having dinner with him just so he could tell me something Elijah was busy telling you anyway," she complained.

"I'm sorry you had to endure him," Caroline said almost teasingly.

Klaus wasn't really that bad but she knew Elena hated him.

"And that's another thing: Klaus obviously likes you, and me and Elijah get on well, so what was up with the weird segregated pairings?"

Caroline was nodding along in agreement when it hit her: Klaus had planned this on purpose. Elijah showing up on her porch and Klaus escorting Elena from the Salvatores' – it had all seemed so last-minute, probably because it had been! Klaus had cooked all this up because of their argument that afternoon!

"Maybe they were just trying to disorient us so we'd believe them easily," Elena suggested, shrugging.

And _Elena. _

It was so clear, now that she thought about it. The first time her and Klaus had kissed had indirectly been because of Elena. It made a twisted Klaus sort of sense to exploit Caroline's jealous streak.

She felt Elena's eyes on her again and she realised that she had yet to reply.

"Well, all interactions with the Originals are disorienting really," she said, trying to keep her voice light.

Elena laughed so Caroline figured she must have been convincing enough.

"That's true."

It seemed Elena had picked up on Caroline's mood change though because the rest of the short trip was silent. Caroline's thoughts were mostly concerned with wanting to murder someone.

She couldn't believe that Klaus had the audacity to pull something like this. And moreover, she was mad at herself for falling for it. She _had_ been jealous and, damnit, she still kind of was.

But mostly she was mad. It was so typically him to try and manipulate her into forgiving him rather than just earning it… which he almost just had.

She was going to make him pay for this.

* * *

"Did that go as planned?"

Klaus looked from his cup of coffee to his brother who strolled into the lounge, smirking rather annoyingly.

"It's Caroline. Nothing ever goes quite as planned. But I believe the night was moderately successful."

Elijah smiled and shook his head in exasperation at his younger brother. "Whatever happened to simply telling a girl you had feelings for her? Remember those days?"

Klaus had gone back to pondering over his coffee and he looked back up at his Elijah in frustration.

"I happen to have done that already, brother. What is this, dating advice?"

The surprise was evident on Elijah's face. "You've told Caroline how you feel about her?"

Klaus sighed. "She's very much aware. I told her a long time ago that I fancied her. And she surmised… the rest all by herself."

Elijah frowned, wondering what 'the rest' constituted. Was his brother truly in love with this girl?

Of course, Klaus would never answer that honestly, so Elijah asked a different question.

"So why all this unsavoury jealousy business?"

"She's upset with me," Klaus said, turning his back to his brother and taking a long sip from his mug.

He really didn't have the faintest inclination to talk about this with Elijah right now. He preferred mentally revising every moment of the night in peace. Every moment spent with Caroline, that is. Elena had not been the worst company in the world but Klaus found her rather… bland, compared to Caroline.

To be quite honest, the plan he had come up with after leaving Caroline's house had seemed ridiculous even to himself. He sincerely doubted that Caroline could be jealous of Elena in any way. She really was ten times the woman than the doppelganger was. However, he knew she had been in the past and moreover he remembered how their first kiss had come about, and so he had forged on with the plan.

He'd sent Elijah over to Caroline's and had gone to fetch Elena from the Salvatore's. It was only when Caroline had walked in when he had stopped doubting his plan. And by the time she'd left she had seemed ready to forgive him. He had hopes that the next day would see everything returning to normal.

He could not handle being alienated by Caroline.

Elijah broke his usual policy of manners and snorted. "And this is how you attempt to earn her forgiveness?"

"Hopefully more," Klaus said shortly, hoping his brother would catch the hint and leave.

But Elijah caught a different hint. "Are you saying that this is how you intend on winning her over?"

Klaus was silent.

"Brother, is she still with Tyler?"

Met with silence once again, Elijah began to mutter to himself. "So that's why he was there this afternoon… Niklaus, why must you always desire women who are already taken?"

"Tatia was hardly _taken, _Elijah," Klaus finally replied snidely.

Elijah narrowed his eyes at Klaus' back. "Katerina, Celeste, – "

"Caroline's different. Even from Tatia. In fact I'd appreciate if you didn't compare anyone to her… nor discuss the rest with her."

Elijah arched an eyebrow. "You were bothered by me answering Caroline's questions?"

Klaus sighed heavily. "You handled it well, brother, but I'd prefer it if you didn't discuss them with her. She's rather… delicate when it comes to comparisons with other women and I'd rather her not be doing so in her own mind. Particularly when she far outweighs what all of them combined ever meant to me."

Elijah's eyes widened. He knew how Klaus had felt about Tatia. It had been one of the only bones of contention between two brothers who were ordinarily inseparable. But no matter how much Elijah had pled, Klaus would not give her up. And neither had he. Thus had begun the feud that would result in their first love's death at the hands of their own mother.

And now Klaus was saying Caroline meant more.

Elijah was about ask something else when Klaus stood up, placed his half-filled mug on the side table, and moved past his brother.

"Good night, Elijah."

* * *

At this point some of you are probably thinking 'Is she ever going to give us proper Klaroline scenes?!'. The answer to that is yes. Very much yes. This story later has so many Klaroline scenes that you will be wondering if the other characters still exist. This is just the beginning :)

What did you think of Caroline and Elijah? I often wondered why they never had scenes on TVD because I thought they could have a cute dynamic. Also I have always been a firm believer that if Elijah knew about it, he'd be a massive Klaroline shipper. Makes far more sense than him pushing a baby on Klaus, blergh.

Anyhow.

I just want to clear up why Tyler is even present in this Klaroline story. There are a few reasons. One is that this is mostly a story about Klaus and Caroline but it's also a story about Klaus and a story about Caroline, i.e. their development separate from each other. I have a few scenes with Klaus with his family, exploring how he's feeling and his relationships with them. Then there is the Forwood relationship which I believe Caroline really needs to see the problems with before she just dumps him. I want Caroline to break up with Tyler because she _wants _to break up with him and I want her to choose Klaus because she _wants _to be with him, with neither of those things influencing the other too much.

At this point Caroline really believes that she is very much in love with Tyler. Yes, she momentarily thought about breaking up with him to be with Klaus, but that was a tiny idea she toyed with for a few seconds nine months ago. The Caroline we have here now has made up her mind and believes she knows what she wants. Whether that's true or not is what I intend to explore.

While I will not be getting _rid _of Tyler any time soon, he will be a background character because honestly I don't know about you but I'm here for Klaroline :) I've kept him in my story, besides the relationship stuff, because he is going to be a good way of measuring how far into the dark deep end Caroline goes. He's going to be calling her out on her actions and how she responds will be important. Basically I am going to be keeping him around so I hope y'all don't mind, but it will be chiefly in a position to move the plot along.

Thank you for your reviews, they make me upload faster and also make me incredibly incredibly happy. So please let me know what you thought.

Lyrics are from _Leave Out All the Rest _by _Linkin Park_. Relevant, I thought, because of Caroline's jealous streak that she can never _quite _get rid of completely.

That was an incredibly long author's note and I apologise once again.


	3. Chapter 3

I just wanted to clarify that in the previous chapter Caroline was not somehow being her insecure self from S1. She wasn't overcome by jealousy but just had that tiny hint of it that is almost a little natural when you see your crush with someone else? It was fleeting and mostly just enough to persuade her into giving Klaus the time of day. What I think was problematic was that Klaus orchestrated that reaction and have no fear, Caroline will be _dealing _with him.

* * *

**Chapter 3: Potential Last Love**

_I want to hide the truth_

_I want to shelter you_

_But with the beast inside_

_There's nowhere we can hide_

Caroline pried her eyes to the sound persistent loud knocking on her front door. She dug her head back into her pillow, hoping that if she ignored it, the knocking would stop.

No such luck.

Caroline groaned and pulled herself out of bed.

Instantly feeling the change of temperature as she climbed out from under her blankets, she sucked in a breath even though the cold didn't affect her negatively. She was so happy she wasn't human anymore. Vampirism even made getting out of bed slightly easier.

_Slightly._

She pulled on her mini pink gown lazily, annoyed by the fact that the person at the door was still knocking.

"Seriously? Hold up a second," she complained, mostly to herself.

The knocking immediately subsided and Caroline couldn't help thinking that vampirism was also creepy at times.

She slipped on her fluffy black and pink slippers. Despite the makeover she'd given herself, she had decided to keep all her cute sleepwear. One had to wear cute pink things at _some _point, right?

She finally made it to the front door and, already heavily annoyed with whomever this was, snatched it open.

The icy breeze that accompanied her motion woke her almost as much as seeing who was at the front door. She quickly re-arranged her facial expression from surprised to annoyed, flipping her slightly mussed hair over her shoulder.

"Oh. It's _you_."

"Good morning, love."

She rolled her eyes. "Do you know how early it is, Klaus?" she asked, though she wasn't sure herself.

What she was aware of was the fact that behind Klaus the sun had not even properly risen yet, which meant it was _definitely _too early for her to be up.

"I know," he said, holding up a finger and smiling sweetly, "but… I brought breakfast," he said, grinning and triumphantly lifting a small white and pink paper bag as evidence.

Caroline huffed. Despite her peaceful sleep, none of her anger towards him had dissipated and the fact that he was currently on her doorstep before the sun had properly risen was so not helping his case. No matter what kind of confectionery he'd brought.

But she also wanted to give him a piece of her mind, preferably not while he was standing on her doorstep. She sighed and stepped backwards, gesturing for him to come inside.

He stepped in looking so pleased with himself that she began to look forward to what she was about to say.

"I assumed that if I brought the croissants, you'd cater for coffee," he said, placing the bag down on a counter in the kitchen.

At the thought of croissants, Caroline's unfed stomach grumbled, but she resisted. Breakfast could wait.

"Yeah, you assume a lot of things, don't you?"

Klaus frowned, her hostile tone clearly taking him completely from left field.

"What's the matter, love?"

"What's the matter? What's the matter? I can't believe you have the audacity to come to my house after what you pulled last night! Or I guess you thought I wouldn't figure it out?"

"Calm down, love. Let's talk about this rationally."

"Rationally? That's not what you did yesterday! No, instead you resorted to underhanded scheming."

He sighed and glanced away quickly before returning his gaze to her guiltily. At least he wasn't insulting her intelligence by pretending that he didn't know what she was talking about.

"That is not fair. I tried when I was here – "

"No, you know what's not fair? That you would use my own insecurities against me like that. You know I always knew you were pure evil, and you've done a lot of things to me and my friends, but not even I would have imagined you capable of this!"

Klaus looked dumbfounded. And, moreover, hurt.

Good. She would not allow her feelings to be played with. Not even by him.

"I can't believe you would just toy with me like that!"

"I couldn't think of anything else – " he started softly.

"Oh, please. Save it," she muttered, crossing her arms. "I'm not just one of your hybrids that you can play games with and manipulate."

She watched as that familiar all-encompassing mood change took over. His eyes turned dark and his jaw set and instantly she saw the man who had deliberately killed 12 of his own hybrids in cold blood.

She found it strangely attractive.

"What about when _you_ spend afternoons with Tyler?" he asked, in what was almost a growl.

Caroline faltered, both because his question confused her and because he scared her a little.

Realisation about his reference dawned and her cheeks grew red. Because it had been sexy time with Tyler. But also, absurdly, because Klaus was jealous.

Klaus was jealous of her and Tyler.

She cleared her throat.

"Were you… watching me?" she asked slowly.

He shrugged. "I'm having everyone in this town watched. I don't trust the lot of you."

That hurt. That he'd lumped her in with the rest. But 'the rest' were her friends – why was she offended by being assumed to be part of them?

The confusion and the hurt made her angry. She unfolded her arms and took a step forward that put them dangerously close to each other.

"You may have forgotten this, but Tyler happens to be my boyfriend. What we do is none of _your _business. And you? You are nothing to me," she spat. "Do you get that? Not my friend. Not my potential last love. _Nothing_."

She had rejected him so many times but the hurt she saw on his face now was something that she didn't think she'd ever seen before. And for a second she wondered whether being one thousand years old meant that it took so much more to feel, but once you did, you felt more intensely than anybody else ever could.

She wondered at her strength over him. His feelings for her.

But just for that second, then it was gone.

Because then came the ruthless Klaus. The Klaus who didn't let anyone get one over on him. Not even her.

"And not the person you make out with on rooftops?"

She sucked in a breath, searching his face. "Is that a threat?"

A sly smile gripped his mouth but didn't reach his eyes. They looked dead.

"We'll see, won't we, darling?"

With that he was gone.

She stared at the bag he'd left, where the scent of chocolate croissants rose from. Her stomach turned.

How could you be so appalled by something you had once cherished?

* * *

She watched as the small pink logos began to blur.

"Come in!" she said, before Tyler had had the chance to knock.

She knew it was him from the heavy yet somewhat careless gait he had. She was glad he had vampire hearing too, otherwise she would have had to find a way to pull herself out of bed again.

Or maybe just ignore it, because the only human who would come here and that she would want to see would be her mom, who could let herself in. Matt was still furious with her, she knew. But the angrier she was with Klaus, the more she backed what she had said to Matt.

Tyler walked into her room frowning, then laughed when he saw her in bed.

"Second day and you're already lazing around?"

"You're looking at this wrong. Second day and this is the _first_ time I'm lazing."

He shook his head in amusement and sat down next to her as she shifted to create space.

He placed a kiss on her forehead. "Any chance you're getting out of here today?"

Caroline winced. "Take your hint from the fact that I didn't come to open the front door."

"But I was going to take you for breakfast," he said as if he were bribing her.

"Breakfast: check," she said, closing her eyes and pointing to a spot on the floor.

Tyler glanced over and noticed an entirely drained blood bag lying on the hardwood of her floor. He frowned. Caroline was still in bed at 11 am and she had just haphazardly dumped a blood bag on the floor of her meticulous bedroom? Something had to be wrong.

But she had just gotten here yesterday. What could it possibly be? And how was he going to get her to tell him?

"So do I get laying space or what?"

He felt relieved as she smiled a little and shifted over more. He pulled off his shoes and climbed under the blankets beside her.

"So what's going on?"

There was silence for a few seconds before Caroline swallowed and took a shallow breath.

"What's going on is that I had a really tiring semester and I just need some time to relax." She paused. "Ok?"

It worried him that those words would normally have contained so much attitude but right then she'd sounded like a fragile little girl. But maybe she _was_ just tired.

"Ok."

She settled into him. Caroline needed this. She needed time. By herself. With Tyler.

But most of all, without Klaus.

She'd spent a significant amount of her morning alternating between crying and cursing the day that she had met he Original, and now she just needed the absence of that. She needed to create distance in her mind. She needed to cement the things she had said to him and make them true.

Because she had to move on. She couldn't feel this way about the Original hybrid anymore. She couldn't. And the best way to do that was beside Tyler.

"Care, you know we can't stay here all day though, right?"

"I know. But can we just pretend?"

* * *

"_Coffee_ comes after _cuddle_ sessions with _Caroline_," Caroline grinned as she slid a hot mug of coffee over to Tyler, feeling pleased with her silly little rhyme.

It was three hours after Tyler had shown up and she'd been right: she felt so much better.

True, a long shower had contributed to that, but now she felt fresh and ready to face the world. Perhaps excluding one man.

Tyler took a sip from his cup. "_Good _coffee."

"Good _cuddling_," Caroline said, winking and taking a seat next to him at her kitchen counter.

She swung around in her chair to look out the window. It seemed like it was shaping up to be a warm day. If she were back at Whitmore she would have contemplated going for a swim at the college's huge pool.

She frowned as she heard heavy boot steps and then an angry key in the lock of her front door... which was unlocked. Her frown deepened as her mother walked into the kitchen looking frazzled and annoyed.

"Sheriff Forbes, is everything ok?"

"Long shift, that's all, thank you, Tyler. Caroline, could I speak to you for a minute?" her mother asked in a way that clearly was not a request but a command.

"I'll be outside," Tyler said, pulling a mockingly terrified face that only Caroline could see.

He grabbed his mug and got out of there as speedily as was humanly possible.

"Hi, Mom. Nice to see you too," Caroline said sarcastically.

"Caroline, don't sass me. How did you know the information that you called me with last night?"

Oh. Caroline frowned. So that's what this was about.

"Was it right?"

"Yes, that's not the point, Caroline."

Caroline sighed. So at least Klaus hadn't been lying to her. All those people were ok.

"You found them all at the Grill?"

Her mother nodded curtly before looking at her suspiciously. "Did you have something to do with this, Caroline? Are your friends getting you into trouble again?"

Caroline hesitated. Technically it had _a little _to do with her. Or perhaps a lot since it had been done for her, but she still hadn't had any hand in it.

"Mom, first of all, my friends don't get me into trouble. And no, I had nothing to do with it."

She frowned as she heard someone approach the house. Shed only recently developed her ability to guess who was approaching by their footsteps and she could identify a few people already, but these stumped her. She heard Tyler greet the person and she was listening for the reply when she realised her mother had been saying something to her.

"Sorry, Mom, what did you say?"

"How did you know about it, then?" Liz repeated exasperatedly.

"Oh. Um…"

She wasn't sure what to say. For some reason, she felt unwilling to lay the blame at Klaus' feet. But she could think of no other plausible reason how she would have known what she'd told her mother.

"Klaus told me," she finished lamely.

Her mother narrowed her eyes. "And how did _he_ know?"

"Ok, look Mom, I don't know, ok? He's an Original, he's powerful, he knows stuff. And he just told me. Ok?"

She knew she sounded defensive and worst of all, she knew that that was exactly what she was being. But for some reason she just didn't want to tell her mother that Klaus had done it. And moreover, she was growing annoyed with her mother's line of questioning. Plus, she was curious to know what was happening outside.

Her mother glanced at her oddly, like she also knew she was acting weird, but she shrugged.

"Ok. Thank you for letting me know. But you have to realise how suspicious this looks, Caroline."

"I'm sorry, Mom. Maybe I'll call in with an anonymous tip next time."

Her mother smiled weakly at her joke. "Hopefully there won't be a next time."

Caroline nodded. Her mother turned away, presumably to pour herself some coffee as well, and Caroline took it as being dismissed. She made a beeline for the front door.

When she opened it, she frowned. Not only was there no new guest, but Tyler had disappeared.

His mug stood on the coffee table, steam still rising from it and she stared down at it, frowning in confusion.

* * *

Klaus twirled the pencil around with his fingers absentmindedly. He needed a drink. Something red, warm and fresh. But he didn't have the energy to go out and find somebody to drain. He wanted to finish this sketch. It felt as if there were a barrier between what it was now and the finished product he had in mind, and he could not for the life of him figure out what it was.

One thing that never got easier even after 1 000 years, was art.

He flung his sketchbook down, closely followed by his pencil, before making his way to the kitchen. He had just passed the front door and was almost to the kitchen, when he frowned and took a step back.

"If you're here to poke the bear, I'll be sportsmanlike and warn you that I'm not in the mood." Klaus turned to face the man at his door.

Tyler held up his hands. "I come in peace. I just wanna talk."

Klaus considered for a moment, but found himself curious as to what Tyler could possibly want to discuss with him. Better yet, if Tyler threatened him, he could rip out his guts and this day might just start looking up after all.

"Very well, come inside," Klaus replied and led Tyler back into the lounge. He didn't offer him a seat.

Klaus leaned back against the back of his sofa as Tyler hesitated then came to a standstill before the step down into the lounge. Klaus smirked. Tyler was such a boy.

"I guess I should thank you," Tyler began, "for _allowing_ me to come home."

Klaus cocked his head, wondering where this was heading.

"But I won't, because we both know you didn't do it for me. And I'm not sure I would, even if you _had_."

Klaus frowned. "I don't believe that you quite grasp the concept of 'peace', mate."

"We aren't ever gonna be friends, Klaus. You killed my mother. I _hate_ you."

Klaus waited, sensing more coming.

"But right now I'm here because of Caroline. You have feelings for her."

Klaus set his jaw as Tyler mentioned her name. For the past few hours he had been doing his utmost to distract himself from the memory of what had occurred that morning, and now it was being thrown back in his face.

Klaus made a show of checking his watch. "Not to be rude, but is there a point to this, or do you just plan on continuing to hurl around arbitrary accusations?" he asked nonchalantly.

Tyler was equal parts incensed and taken aback by the fact that Klaus had all but denied any feelings toward Caroline.

"You know about the crazy that goes on in this town on pretty much a daily basis. I want you to_ give me your word_… that you'll protect Caroline."

Klaus recoiled. He hadn't been this surprised since the day his dead mother had walked into this precise lounge.

"What?"

"Just look out for her, make sure she makes it back to Whitmore alive."

"Not feeling up to the job, mate?"

"Klaus I may be proud, but when it comes to Caroline, I can see exactly how things are. You're immortal and the most powerful thing on the planet. If you're _genuinely_ looking out for her, she'll be safe."

Klaus hesitated. On the one hand, it was true. How Caroline, or anyone in this town really, had managed to make it 17 years as a human was beyond him. Nowhere else he'd been in his 1 000 years was as weird as this sole small town.

But on the other hand Caroline wanted nothing to do with him. She had made that perfectly clear this morning.

"I assume this plan received glowing reviews from the lady in question?" Klaus asked, though he knew the answer.

For the first time, Tyler's resolution seemed to falter. "She'll agree when she sees how much sense it makes."

Klaus considered. He doubted that Tyler could get Caroline to agree to this. But he had to admit, at least to himself, that the idea of being personally responsible for Caroline's safety was one that appealed to him.

The hybrid's move was annoyingly smart. He was offering nothing and getting everything in return.

It was the kind of deal that only made sense because it involved Caroline. Klaus wouldn't even consider it for anyone else.

He sighed. "I'll do it… if Caroline agrees."

* * *

Caroline studied the third outfit she had changed into since Tyler had left.

His sudden disappearance and ensuing inability to answer his phone had made her antsy. She had considered cleaning, but the place was still spotless from when her mom had cleaned to welcome Caroline home. Besides, her mother was having a much-needed nap, and although she slept like the dead, Caroline didn't want to risk it.

Instead she'd begun fitting on clothes that she had bought on her makeover shopping spree but hadn't had the chance to wear yet.

She'd left the most casual for last, hoping that by then Tyler would have returned and would take her to lunch after a sufficient amount of grovelling. She still couldn't believe that he'd just disappeared on her like that. And honestly, she was starting to get worried.

Damon had reported a 100% safe Mystic Falls, but the last 2 years of her life made her feel like that was practically an impossibility.

She heard her front door creak open and she sped over to it, pushing Tyler outside before he could even enter. She closed the door quietly before rounding on him.

"Where the _hell _have you been, mister?"

"Caroline, calm down," Tyler began.

"No. Do not tell me to calm down when you just _left _without saying a word. You didn't even drink the coffee I made you!"

He smiled a little at the latter. It was just like Caroline to use such a trivial reason to support a serious point.

"Care, something came up and – "

"Dick move, Tyler. Dick move," Caroline said, folding her arms and leaning back on her heels, clearly now ready to receive his explanation.

Tyler sighed. He found his girlfriend adorable, at times even when she was angry, but sometimes it also worked him up. It was the irritability that made him just come right out and say it.

"I went to see Klaus."

Caroline blinked. Twice.

"You _WHAT_?"

He sighed again. "Calm down, just let me explain," he said rather unnecessarily, as it had zero effect on his girlfriend.

"You went to see _Klaus_? The man who, up until a few months ago, wanted your head on a stick? The most volatile man on the _planet_? The man who only agreed to stop hunting you until the end of eternity as a _graduation gift _to me? Which, by the way, is Exhibit A in how volatile he is. _That _Klaus?" she asked rhetorically.

Tyler hung his head. Not even he had thought that it would be this difficult. He hadn't even mentioned his idea yet.

"Look, the point is he let me come back, right?"

"Did you miss the word 'volatile'? Tyler, just seeing your face could make him change his mind. Have you _met _Klaus?"

He looked back up now, annoyed that she was worrying about what could have happened but hadn't.

"Well he obviously didn't, did he? Here I am."

Caroline rolled both her hands into fists. "Urrrgh!"

She was worried to death about what could have happened. Klaus could easily have decided to retract his death warrant on Tyler, especially in light of what she'd said to him that morning. But, moreover, she felt sick to her stomach because of what _he _had said that morning. His barely concealed threat had accounted for at least 2 hours of her crying.

Tyler could never find out about what had happened between her and Klaus on the Mikaelson mansion's rooftop. She would never live it down and he would never forgive her.

But now for some reason he was now paying Klaus _home visits. _What the hell was going on?

But more importantly, what had Klaus told him?

Caroline sat down on the porch rocking chair, scared that her knees might give way otherwise.

She took a long, deep breath. "So tell me, _exactly _whatdid you have to pay Klaus a visit for?"

Truthfully she was more interested in what Klaus had told him, but she didn't want to lead with a question that suspicious.

Tyler sighed with slight relief though he knew it wouldn't be easy. Caroline wouldn't be up for this. He didn't blame her.

They both hated this guy. He'd ruined their lives and the lives of all their friends. Tyler shuddered just thinking about all Jeremy and Elena had lost, directly and indirectly because of Klaus. And, of course, his own mother.

All those months on the run, it hadn't ever seemed fair to him. That _he _should be the one running, that _he _had to face punishment, that _he _had to leave Mystic Falls and the girl he loved. He should have been the one doing the hunting down. Klaus had killed _his _mother.

But of course that was the way the world worked, even the supernatural one. Survival of the fittest. And Klaus was the fittest.

At least for now.

And while Tyler worked on righting that wrong, he would have Klaus protect Caroline.

Klaus wouldn't be on top forever. But while he was, Tyler would take advantage of it. And he needed Caroline to understand that. He couldn't lose her too. He couldn't lose _any more. _

"I asked Klaus to do something. Something he owes us."

Caroline looked incredulous. He continued.

"I asked him to protect you, no matter what happens."

"_What_?"

"He said he would – "

"What do you mean, protect me? From what?"

Tyler smirked. "Caroline, this is Mystic Falls. There's always something."

She was looking at him suspiciously, as she had every right to. He _was_ still holding something back. But he had to get through this first.

"Look, he said yes, but only if you say yes too."

She opened her mouth to speak but this time it was him interrupting her. "Caroline, he owes us this much. And the guy is practically immortal! It's about time he puts it to some good use."

Her phone began to ring but Caroline ignored it, glaring at her boyfriend. "And you think that makes it OK? I can't believe you'd go behind my back and do something like this!"

She waited for a defence but Tyler seemed to have none.

He seemed to have said all he needed to. Fine, she'd just lay into him some more then.

Except her phone _would not stop ringing. _

She almost growled as she plucked her phone to her ear, answering it without checking the caller ID. "Hello!"

"Hey, Caroline!" came the voice, with audible amounts of relief.

"Jeremy?" Caroline frowned. It was definitely unusual for Elena's brother to be calling her. She began to worry. "Are you OK?"

"Tyler hasn't told you, has he?"

Her eyes flashed back to Tyler's, glaring. "Told me what?"

Sounds that seemed a lot like Jeremy was getting harassed on the other end of the line emanated from her phone.

"Ok, ok!" Jeremy said to somebody in the background. "Bonnie's insisting that Tyler hasn't told you yet," Jeremy said to her.

"Jeremy, Tyler hasn't told me _what_?" Caroline asked, growing more annoyed by the second.

"I came by earlier and Tyler said he would give you the message." He sighed as the harassment background noises seemed to pick back up again. "Look, it isn't important. The point is, Bonnie wants you to know…"

Tyler tuned out. He'd received the message from Jeremy earlier and although the kid had emphasised the urgency of it, he'd had more important things to take care of first. Like his girlfriend's safety. He had to make sure she was protected before she walked into something like this again. He'd almost lost her one too many times already.

Caroline put down her phone and glared at him once more.

"Seriously? You couldn't tell me about this?" Caroline shouted when she ended the call.

"I just first had to – " Tyler began to defend himself, though even he knew it was already a lost battle.

"Save it," Caroline cut him off. "I have to go now, but this conversation is _not _over."

She sped over to her car and in a few seconds she was gone.

Tyler sighed. He would text her later asking her to re-consider. He really didn't want to have this whole argument again. He hoped she would see the logic in his plan once she saw what she was on her way to see.

And the sooner he no longer had to worry about Caroline's safety, the sooner he could move on to thinking about other things.

Like getting rid of Klaus.

* * *

Caroline arrived nervously to the entrance to the tunnels underneath the school. She honestly had no idea what to expect, but if Bonnie had sent her urgently then it had to be important.

She listened carefully.

She knew the rest were here, all she had to do was find them.

As soon as she heard shuffling sounds she began to follow them.

Before long she'd caught up to Damon, Elena and Stefan.

She wasn't sure who seemed more surprised to see her there, but Elena came up with the explanation first.

"Bonnie," she realised, sighing.

"Yeah, apparently at least _one_ of my best friends still thinks I'm important," Caroline retorted, immediately on the offensive.

"Cool it, Barbie. It's just a recon mission, OK? No big deal." Damon, of course.

"Big enough of a deal for all three of you to be here," she retorted, pointing her finger at each of them as she said it.

An awkward moment of silence followed during which Damon and Elena stared at each other and Stefan mostly stared at the floor.

"Well?" she demanded.

"Look Caroline, we honestly have no idea what we're going to find here. We know as much as Bonnie probably told you," Elena explained with her best empathetic voice.

"Yeah, also known as _nothing_," Damon interjected.

"So Bonnie gives you a tip about something weird going on in the creepy school tunnels and the first thing you think is 'Let's leave Caroline out of it'?"

"We didn't want you to be in danger too," Stefan spoke up for the first time.

"That's them. I mostly just didn't want you here," Damon said, feeling obligated as usual to add one of his maddening jokes to every situation.

Elena elbowed Damon in the ribs. "Please don't be mad, Care."

"So hold up a second… you're scared there's something dangerous through there," she began, pointing further down the tunnel they were currently standing in, "but you decide to take Elena and not me? I happen to be older and thus stronger," she said with hurt pride, now addressing the Salvatores.

"And yet I seem to remember her almost killing you," Damon reminded her condescendingly.

"Damon!" Elena reprimanded, looking genuinely upset, but her boyfriend looked unfazed.

"Caroline, we'll call you to tell you what we find, OK?" Stefan was now doing _his _best empathetic voice, apparently trying to insert some calm into the sanity of this conversation.

Caroline couldn't believe this. She was being left out of the action as usual. And as usual it was under the guise that it was just to protect her. Until they actually needed her help, of course.

She was fuming and not even Stefan's Calm Voice was going to persuade her otherwise.

"No," Caroline said, folding her arms resolutely, "I'm staying."

Damon's fangs dropped and he glared at her dangerously. "You're. Leaving."

"Well, I beg to differ," came a voice from the darkness behind her, low and husky like only he spoke and laced with that sexy accent.

She didn't have to look to know who it was.

* * *

Ooooh :)

I know many of you don't like Tyler but I actually think he's being pretty smart, basically exploiting Klaus. He's making Klaus take care of Caroline so he doesn't have to worry about it, thus freeing him up to work _against _Klaus! That's just efficient.

I sincerely hope no one hates me after the Klaroline scene in this chapter. It was necessary! Though personally I would say Caroline overreacted just the tiniest bit, what do you guys think?

But I'm so sorry guys, please review and let me know that you don't completely despise me now!

Lyrics from _Demons _by _Imagine Dragons_. One of my all-time favourite songs, and primarily because of Klaroline.


	4. Chapter 4

So I realised that I never said something which is pretty important and I'm sorry about that, but here goes. I do not watch The Originals, which means that any history that is canon there is not canon in my story. An example would be something like Rebekah alerting Mikael to them being in NOLA (or something like that? I don't watch the show) – not a part of the history in my story. The Originals have an intense relationship in my story and I deal with it quite often so I just wanted to clarify that. I'm really sorry if it's a bit confusing for any TO-viewers!

For everybody curious about what was in the tunnels, I hope this lives up to your expectations ;)

* * *

**Chapter 4: Inferno**

_I want to reconcile the violence in your heart _

_I want to recognise your beauty's not just a mask_

_I want to exorcise the demons from your past_

_I want to satisfy the undisclosed desires in your heart_

Caroline didn't have to look to know who it was.

But she did anyway.

Because it was Klaus and how could she resist?

She turned as he stepped out from the shadows, as casual as he usually was at first appearance, no matter how much his presence might shake up anybody else.

His name formed softly on her lips without any permission from her.

"Caroline," he murmured in return, a greeting accompanied by a small smile before he stepped further forward to address the rest. "Gang. I suppose my invitation got lost in the mail."

He stood next to her and Caroline profusely wished that her stomach would stop doing flip-flops.

It was when she realised that they were now accidentally portraying a united front when his opening comment came back to her.

He'd defended her.

Damon seemed to be thinking along the same lines, hardly able to hide his displeasure at the Original hybrid's surprise appearance.

"Klaus, so glad you could make it. Just in time to take your girlfriend and leave," Damon announced snarkily.

Caroline barely had the time to analyse how she felt about Damon's comment before Klaus' arm shot up and a wooden bullet launched itself straight into Damon's chest.

Damon staggered back half in pain and half in genuine surprise as Caroline why on earth Klaus had a gun and wooden bullets. It didn't seem like his style.

"Now Damon, I know you believe yourself to have quite the clever tongue but I suggest you keep your witty comments to yourself while I have my new gadget here," Klaus smirked.

Damon growled as he dug the bullet out of his chest. Elena looked as worried as she did when anything relatively bad happened, while Stefan looked on neutrally. He was used to his brother's big mouth getting him into trouble. He wished Damon would consider the person he was talking to before starting with his snide remarks.

Damon gritted his teeth as he removed his bloody fingers from his body and dropped the bullet to the floor. Caroline realised that it must have gotten very close to his heart. Klaus wasn't messing around.

It warmed her heart a little that it had been in her defence.

"Caroline isn't going any further than this," Damon said, stubborn as always.

Klaus regarded Damon in amusement.

"You aren't really in any position to negotiate, mate. Unlike the last time you got shot, which I saved your life from by the way, that bullet was not laced with werewolf venom. But," he said, smiling and dropping his fangs as his eyes turned hybrid gold, "that can easily be arranged."

It was the second time that day that Caroline felt fear in Klaus' presence.

She wasn't used to him having a gun. And his tone might have been only lightly threatening but he was not joking. She could tell from the resolve in his eyes that he was serious about biting Damon.

Caroline for some reason felt like it was up to her to step in and de-fuse the situation, but she wasn't sure how. Moreover she wasn't sure she wanted to. Klaus was essentially standing up for her and Damon still seemed unrelenting.

Caroline was considering her options when Elena placed a light hand on Damon's arm.

"Damon! Just let them stay."

Immediately Damon's entire body relaxed. He sighed.

"Fine. Let's just get moving," he muttered in annoyance.

They turned around and began heading further towards the tunnel when Klaus spoke up again.

"Just a minute, gang."

The three of them turned back around and stared at Klaus in frustration.

"I'm up front."

Stefan rolled his eyes, clearly not surprised by his old friend's audacity.

"No, no way. You stay in the back with your… Caroline," Damon refused.

Caroline hid her smile. Damon had been on the cusp of calling her Klaus' girlfriend again. Clearly the bullet to his chest had been a poignant warning.

"That wasn't a request, mate," Klaus replied, walking forward.

Damon blocked the way with his arm slightly. Caroline wanted to roll her eyes at him. Why did he always pick battles he knew he couldn't win? It was like he _wanted _a werewolf bite from the one man who also had the monopoly on the cure.

She still stood rooted to her original spot, curious how this would play out.

"_I don't trust you_," Damon clarified.

"What a surprise," Klaus replied sarcastically.

"For all we know, you're the reason for whatever's through there."

"_For all you know _there's something supernatural waiting for you through there. Surely it makes sense, even to you, to have the immortal up front?"

Damon began to mutter under his breath about white oak stakes as Klaus smirked.

"Caroline will accompany me."

Caroline looked up in surprise at the mention of her name, but Klaus wasn't looking at her.

"No way," Elena refused.

Caroline huffed just on principle. She was becoming really sick of Elena being in control of what she would or wouldn't be doing today.

"It's been made clear you lot don't trust me," Klaus said, a hint of amusement evident in his voice, "Caroline here can keep me honest."

"Then I'll do it," Elena announced.

Caroline glanced at Elena. She wasn't even sure what was going on here anymore. Sure, Elena was probably trying to do her a favour but Caroline felt like a ragdoll, stuck between whatever Damon and Elena wanted her to do.

"I'll do it," Caroline declared.

Elena glanced back at Caroline in surprise. "Caroline, you don't have to – "

"I want to."

Klaus turned to face her for the first time, giving her an almost imperceptible smile.

"Right well, now that we have that sorted: Shall we?" he said, gesturing for Caroline to lead.

She smiled and moved forward for the first time since she'd gotten here. She smirked at the bloody hole in Damon's shirt as she passed him.

"A headstart would be nice. Five minutes or so should suffice," Klaus added, following behind Caroline before any of them had the chance to protest.

Caroline and Klaus trudged on in silence, Caroline secretly glad that he was with her. These tunnels were legitimately creepy. And wet. And smelly.

She wanted to say something but was waiting for them to be far enough from the rest. Instead she took the time to figure out exactly what she would say.

When she could no longer hear Damon's complaints, she took a deep breath.

"Thanks. For back there," she added unnecessarily.

Klaus looked at her in surprise. "Caroline Forbes thanking me? I never thought I'd see the day."

"That saying only works if you're human," Caroline pointed out, hiding a smile.

"And when talking about you."

"I'm not that stubborn," she said, knowing fully that she totally was.

Now it was Klaus' turn to hide a smile and they walked on.

The eerie silence was beginning to get to Caroline when Klaus spoke up.

"Tyler came to see me today."

"I know."

"Did he tell you about his idea?"

She hesitated. "He told me you'd only do it if I agreed."

He nodded in confirmation and she felt as if she should thank him again. He obviously cared more about her say in the whole thing than her own boyfriend did and she was grateful for that.

But she had already thanked him once today and that was _so _not happening again.

They walked some more in silence and she was beginning to wonder exactly how far they still had to go.

But really, the main thing on her mind was what she'd been worrying about the second that Tyler had mentioned that he'd visited Klaus.

"Klaus, did you… did you say anything to Tyler?"

"No," he said, surprisingly concise.

She looked at him, frowning. "Why not? You made it clear this morning that you wanted to."

"I knew that if I told him, you wouldn't have forgiven me and it would have made everything you said this morning true."

Caroline bit her lip to stop from smiling. She _had _said really harsh things to him that morning. But.

"How do you know it isn't true already?"

He came to an abrupt halt and she stopped too, their eyes connecting.

"Because I don't want it to be," he replied, a tiny vulnerable smile on his face.

It was half an assertion and half a request and Caroline looked down at the ground, smiling. It scared her that everything could have changed so easily between her and Tyler. Klaus wouldn't even have had to seek him out; her idiotic boyfriend had sought _him _out.

And it had only been Klaus' belief in her and them that had stopped him.

He'd daggered his siblings for less.

"Klaus, you're right, I was just so mad this morning. I didn't mean what I said," she admitted.

Klaus looked at her in surprise. "Gratitude and a retraction from Caroline Forbes in one day?" he joked, raising an eyebrow in mock surprise.

"Shut up!" Caroline said, slapping him with the back of her hand as they both laughed.

Her smile disappeared and she stopped walking. He turned back to her curiously.

"Klaus. I still want to be friends," she confessed softly.

A conflicted look crossed his face before he frowned, sniffing the air.

His reaction confused Caroline before she imitated his action. "Oh my – "

"That does not smell like good news," Klaus interrupted with the obvious.

"Why, what is that?"

"If I'm not mistaken… rotting corpses and stale blood."

The words alone made Caroline want to hurl but she cautiously followed behind Klaus as they approached a clearing in the tunnels.

Caroline wasn't sure whether to cover her mouth or nose.

She turned to her right to gauge Klaus' reaction when she realised that he was no longer beside her. She felt a panic begin to rise when she realised that he was on the other side of the room, examining the bodies.

What seemed like hundreds of them.

Caroline stood rooted to her spot as she heard the rest approach behind her.

"What the hell," Damon spoke first, scanning the room with his eyes.

Stefan placed his hands on Caroline's shoulders. "Caroline, are you OK?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine."

"Can't say the same for these poor idiots," Damon said, still looking around with cold eyes.

"Damon," Elena admonished once again, seeming weary.

"Took you long enough, mate," Klaus said, now from a crouching position beside what looked like three heads and a kneecap.

Damon sped over to a spot closer to Klaus and rolled his eyes. He wasn't even going to attempt a reply to that.

"You do a count?"

"Sixty, as far as I can tell," Klaus responded.

"How the hell are sixty people missing in _Mystic Falls _and we don't know about it?" Damon asked, which seemed like a question directed at the general room, but he was staring straight at Caroline.

"Just because the Sheriff's my mother doesn't mean I know about everything that goes on in this town, Damon," Caroline replied, annoyed.

"We _would_ know," Klaus said with the assurance one got from having spies everywhere. "They must be from out of town."

"We could confirm that with dental records if the poor bastards had any teeth." Damon looked around some more. "Anyone see any?"

The fact that the victims' teeth were missing from their skulls made Caroline want to hurl once more, but Stefan distracted her by pointing at a bloody clump not too far from them.

"Got a few of them over here," he called out.

Now that Caroline knew what they looked like – gloopy and red with a faint white shine – she started seeing them everywhere. These people's teeth had been scattered all over the room.

Klaus seemed to notice the same thing. "I have a feeling that fingerprints might be a better bet in identifying them."

"And more important than who they are… who the hell did this," Damon said, putting out there what they were all already wondering. He turned to Klaus. "Anything you wanna tell us, oh Almighty Original?"

Everyone turned to Klaus in suspicion, though Caroline winced at Damon mocking Klaus, mostly worrying for the vampire's safety.

Klaus seemed unfazed though. "Mate, if I wanted to have a buffet, I would. And wouldn't feel the need to hide the bodies." He seemed to consider for a moment. "Nor waste all that blood," he added, gesturing at the amount of blood that covered everything in the room.

Caroline believed him immediately though the others looked unsure. His explanation made sense. If Klaus wanted to kill sixty people, he'd probably throw a party and make a display out of it.

"This seems far more like the work of a Ripper," Klaus continued, smirking.

Everyone turned to Stefan suspiciously now.

"It wasn't me," he said simply and everyone turned away again.

"Well, that settles that," Klaus said, clearly annoyed by the double standards of the situation.

"Guys," Caroline started, afraid of what she was about to say, "we did kill Silas, right?"

Stefan and Elena became a bit fidgety, growing uncomfortable just with the name being mentioned.

Damon nodded. "As much as you can kill an un-killable two thousand year old immortal."

"As opposed to those immortals you can kill?" Klaus asked sarcastically.

"Exactly. Like you. Say, you wouldn't happen to know where I could find that White Oak stake, would you?"

Caroline rolled her eyes as the two men pulled faces at each other that rather reminded her of grade school.

"Caroline, it can't be Silas. We put him down for good in the Salvatore tomb," Elena reminded her of the Summer break.

"Yeah, because he earned his spot there and all," Damon said bitterly, still upset about the fact that Silas was in his family tomb.

Caroline didn't really get why. Silas _was _technically related to them and besides, it's not like they were ever going to be joining the rest of their family in that tomb.

The ground inside their family tomb had been integral in keeping Silas locked away forever. They had been assured that it would work by Qetsiyah herself, and yet this massacre laid out before Caroline made her have her doubts.

"Somebody should check on his corpse," Stefan decided, seconding Caroline's fears.

"Another group outing?" Damon suggested mockingly, glaring at her and Klaus.

"No. I'm leaving," Caroline said, speeding out before she had to put up with another smartass comment from Damon.

She had a conversation to finish.

* * *

Klaus' hand flew across the easel, kohl in hand.

He had decided to discard his earlier sketch and begin afresh.

Though the massacre he'd witnessed had not been one of his own, it had had the strange effect of inspiring him.

He had re-drawn his earlier sketch but on a larger scale: three frosted panes of glass, each seeming to hide more from the viewer than the previous. The 3-dimensional effect was extraordinary, even if he had to say so himself. He had spent one hundred years perfecting the technique.

Earlier he had been unable to understand what was behind the frosted glass. His fingers had, in a way, created them on his sketch pad by themselves. But he had known it was not complete, yet with no knowledge of what would make it so.

Now he knew.

He re-created the scene from earlier, carefully sculpting each limb and appendage strewn all over the place as it had been.

He made up stories for them.

There lay Carrie's jaw and here he would put her foot which was missing two toes because the monster who had done this to her had scattered those too.

He shaped Gary's arm and placed his hand not too far from it, the two seeming to reach for each other cruelly. Gary had no other arm because he was a war veteran, but he had two legs and Klaus placed those beside Carrie's jaw.

When he was satisfied with the amount of bodies behind the third pane of glass, he began to fill the spaces between them with black sludge instead of blood.

It was strange that he was replacing it, considering that it had been the glossy red sustenance so curiously spread over the mysterious victims that had inspired him.

Perhaps it had been the disgusted look on Caroline's face.

He sighed and continued working on the black sludge, making it seem as if it contained waves in some places, whereas others were as still as a lake.

He stood back and admired the thick black goop that surrounded the dead bodies. They were no longer mysterious. He knew them all.

He was pondering the background for the lake of the dead when he heard a familiar pitter-patter and smiled. He liked that Caroline just entered his house uninvited now, even though it sometimes had bothersome repercussions.

He liked every visit of hers, truth be told.

Even ones when she had gardening equipment dug into his back.

He turned around as she entered; caught her quick gasp of breath.

It amused him that she seemed surprised to find him within his own home.

"Caroline, what a lovely surprise."

"Hey… Klaus," she said, sticking her hands into her pockets.

It was awkward.

He didn't normally label things thus but the strange tension in the air was undeniable.

After she had left, characteristically without a goodbye, Klaus had made his way out of there as fast as possible as well.

He'd had very little interest or purpose in staying without her there.

He'd come home and immediately begun work on this new version of his sketch without sparing a thought for what had occurred between him and Caroline in the tunnels.

It was all very odd. That same morning they had been at each other's throats, threatening and snarling. Then they had made up, seemingly spontaneously, after being brought together semi-accidentally. His spies in town had alerted him to suspicious-seeming movement at the Salvatore house and, after having them tailed, Klaus had followed. He hadn't considered whether Caroline would be there or not, but he was eternally grateful that she had been.

But now it was awkward.

He stepped forward. "Could I offer you a drink?"

"No thanks, I won't be long," she replied.

She didn't say why she _was _here to begin with.

Normally he would just ask, but after this morning he wanted to be as cautious as possible with her.

Suddenly she frowned and stepped past him. He froze as he realised that she had spotted his sketch. He hadn't yet decided whether this was a piece of art he wanted anybody else to view.

It was dark and strange and he felt very naked having Caroline of all people view it. She had a way of reading into his work that left him feeling incredibly vulnerable.

"Wow," Caroline said.

Klaus joined her, anxiously observing the way her face was twisted as she stared.

"It's not done," he offered by way of explanation.

She said nothing, unnerving him further.

"It's… creepy," he admitted, employing a term he thought she might use.

"It's… ethereal," Caroline finally decided.

Klaus frowned, not sure what to do with that.

"The river Styx, that's what it reminds me of." She began to rub her arms as if rubbing away gooseflesh. "You know, Dante, hell."

He understood the reference, of course, and was pleased that she had said it. It was a charming comparison but moreover, he loved that she knew that.

Caroline's intellect wasn't least of the extensive list of reasons he found himself attracted to her.

This time he was the one to say nothing, which seemed to spur her on.

"I love the glass. Like you're looking in on it. Standing on the outside."

She sighed, reaching her hand out as if to make sure that the glass was laid flat on the easel, but it fell short; it was obvious she respected his work too much to touch it.

He remembered the conversation they'd had on the roof of this very house about how he always viewed things from afar, and felt uncomfortable.

"It's a beautiful representation of earlier. Albeit," she said, cracking a smile, "creepy."

He laughed, flattered that she liked his sketch when she'd been so plainly disgusted by the scene they had witnessed.

"And what it does it say about the artist? I thought that was your favourite part," he joked, unable to help himself.

She looked at it for another few seconds before turning to him.

"Klaus, I came here to ask you for a favour."

He almost smiled, realising that she was doing the same thing he frequently did to her: adeptly avoiding the question at hand.

However, he was also curious as to what she could ask of _him._

"Anything for you, love," he said glibly, knowing that she wouldn't take it seriously.

It was a pattern between them. He would say something that he wanted her to know and she wouldn't take it seriously. But on some level it still stuck with her. So much so that she had managed to piece together how he really felt about her long before he himself had.

_I know that you're in love with me._

The words still made his heart quicken.

As expected, she rolled her eyes and shook her head in annoyance. "I'm serious, Klaus."

He hid a smile, then gestured with his hand. "Well then let's hear it, sweetheart!"

She took a determined breath. "I want you to train me."

He arched his brow, waiting for more. When it didn't come, he made his way to the drinks table, mulling over her request. He deserved a drink after the day he'd had. When he finished pouring himself a scotch, the amber of the drink pooling sumptuously, he took a seat.

She stood rooted to the same spot, staring at him determinedly.

"You're serious," he noted.

"It's only slightly different from the plan you and Tyler came up with," she said, the last part rather bitterly.

He was about to contest him having had any hand in Tyler's request, but she rambled on.

"I am _not _a damsel in distress. And I _refuse _to be made one by my boyfriend and my…" she hesitated, drifting off, before clearing her throat. "Friend."

When she said nothing, she continued. "It just makes sense. Wouldn't it be easier to 'protect' me if I could protect myself better?"

"Does Tyler agree with that line of thought?"

A quick flash of her eyes told him no. He was beginning to like this plan more and more.

"It doesn't matter what Tyler thinks. At least _I_ had the decency to tell him about my plan _before _coming to you," she said and he smirked at how annoyed she still clearly was with Tyler about that.

"Where is this coming from, Caroline? Did the massacre really freak you out that much?" he asked, again utilising terms he thought she would be more familiar with.

"Yes and no," she answered, sighing and flopping down on the sofa beside him.

He tried to hide his surprise at how much of a casual visit this had suddenly become. He set his untouched glass down on the table beside him, uncomfortable with drinking it when Caroline didn't have one.

He waited for more of an explanation and when it didn't come, he sighed.

"I don't think it's a good idea."

She looked at him obstinately. "Why not?"

"I'd have conditions," he answered vaguely.

"Fine," she said, knowing there was more.

He sighed. "I want to know your reasoning for this, Caroline."

She stared stubbornly at an indistinguishable item in the distance. He knew she wouldn't be leaving without his consent. Both because she was stubborn and because he inevitably gave in to all of her demands.

He thought about the last time he'd been in this situation with her: picking a film to watch when they'd been upstairs.

He'd just have to do now what he'd done then: sweeten the deal for himself before giving in.

He shrugged as if she'd persuaded him. "_If _I were to do it, it would be scheduled. A daily meeting time." He thought back to the bloody scene from earlier. "Whatever is coming seems to be approaching fast. If you want to be prepared, we'll need all the time we can get."

She looked at him for the first time since she'd sat down. Their eyes connected, both of them knowing but not verbally acknowledging how transparent his excuse for getting to see her every day was.

A small smile crossed her face. "Fine."

He narrowed his eyes. He hadn't actually expected her to agree to that. Not that easily, anyhow.

"Why are you so determined to do this, love?" he asked suspiciously, but with a softer tone than his previous interrogatory one.

It seemed to work.

Caroline sighed and turned away from him again. "It was something Damon said earlier."

"Damon. Of course."

The vampire constantly got on Klaus' last nerve, but earlier the elder Salvatore had particularly rubbed him up the wrong way. He hated the reckless abandon that he treated Caroline with. He hated that Caroline's supposed best friend couldn't control her boyfriend.

"What did he say?"

"Well he more reminded me of something." She sighed. "When Elena almost killed me."

Klaus sat forward quickly. "She _what_?"

She looked at him again, clearly fearful of him going off and doing something to Elena. She wasn't far off.

"It was when her humanity was off," she hastened to add in an effort to calm him, "She escaped from the house and I went out to find her. We fought and she staked me. She was about to kill me when Stefan and Damon showed up."

Klaus sat backwards, flabbergasted. He prided himself on knowing the detailed goings-on of this tiny town. It annoyed him to no end to find out that Caroline had almost died at the hands of her own best friend, the bloody doppelgänger, and he hadn't even known.

"Damon cited that earlier as a reason for taking Elena into those tunnels and not me."

"You care about Damon's opinion?"

"No," she said disgustedly. "It's not that, it's just…" she sighed. "I'm older and stronger. She wasn't supposed to have been able to do that." She bit her lip, as if pondering whether to say something or not.

She sighed heavily, seeming to make up her mind.

"She said it was because she was trained by Alaric. And I thought… I thought, what if _I_ could be trained by the oldest, most powerful vampire?" she finished, seeming slightly ashamed of her line of thinking.

He suddenly understood. They were the same, after all.

He leaned towards her a bit, regarding her closely. "I understand. Being a vampire, it's your thing, isn't it? Stefan's the Ripper, Damon's the irresponsible one, but you're the controlled one. You're the success story, Caroline. The thing you excelled in more than Elena ever could. And best of all," he smirked, liking how this connected them, "you revel in it. Unlike dear little Elena who just cannot seem to handle being such a 'monster'," he smirked.

They stared at each other for a minute, him revelling in the knowledge that he'd hit the nail on the head. If it were otherwise, she would audibly be denying it.

"So will you do it?" she asked eventually, her eyes not leaving his.

He breathed and moved back to his original position.

"I said I'd have conditions."

She pushed back her hair, irritated. "Then just spit them out, Klaus!"

He smiled, liking the desperation. It meant she'd be more likely to agree.

But he wanted to drag it out.

"While I don't doubt how intensive Alaric's training was, I _do _doubt that it was only it which allowed Elena to overcome you."

Caroline narrowed her eyes at him, wondering where he was going with this.

"You see, for some inexplicable reason vampires often think that any fight can go any way, but it's rather pre-determined, isn't it?" he asked rhetorically. "Really, it's a mixture of three factors."

Making sure she was still paying rapt attention, he held up a hand to begin counting.

"Strength, which is directly determined by age and, rarely, diet. Technique, which can be taught, be it by myself or Alaric. And lastly, the relish one feels for being a vampire."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on."

He smiled patiently. "What is the most impossible fight you've won, Caroline?"

_Besides winning my heart._

She thought for a moment. "It was with Damon. He was trying to kill my dad."

"And he's approximately a hundred and fifty years older than you, give or take, correct?"

"I was angry," she smirked proudly.

He smiled, shaking his head. She was so young. "As true as that may be, it's not the reason you won. You beat him because you truly wanted to be a vampire. In that moment, your sole focus was the possible death of your father, correct? And you wanted to do anything to prevent that. Which meant, sweetheart, that you were taking the fullest advantage of your vampire abilities."

She exhaled heavily, seemingly convinced. "Ok fine, so what?"

But he wasn't ready to reveal his trump card just yet.

"Elena won that fight only half because of her training. Her humanity was turned off; she was intensely focused. She wasn't concerned about hurting you or your feelings or anything besides killing you. A-K-A revelling in her vampirism."

She glared at him, now clearly at the end of her rope. She was growing bored of all this exposition and just wanted a final answer.

He smiled slyly. "I'll do it. But my condition is that you do everything I tell you to. Which may occasionally include dabbling in the dark side." He cocked his head, still smiling. "In other words, being a vampire to the fullest extent of the word."

Caroline gritted her teeth. "And if I say no?"

He shrugged. "Then I don't do it. I'm afraid it's all or nothing here, love."

She turned away, considering.

"I'm not turning my humanity off."

"Wouldn't dream of asking."

She sighed, before standing up. "Fine."

He grinned. "I'll see you tomorrow then, Caroline. Say… noon?"

She nodded quickly. He could tell she wasn't happy, but in the end she had gotten what she had come for. He had just gotten a little something too.

He was getting better at negotiating with Caroline.

She started walking away and he was picking his glass back up when he heard her footsteps stop.

He turned back toward her, frowning. She had stopped midway to the front door.

She turned slightly now, with her back still to him, but in a position where she could view his sketch once more.

"The artist, he envies them."

He frowned, looking back at his sketch as well. The three panes of glass that had intrigued her so. He knew it was what she was drawing her conclusion from.

He didn't say anything; scared she would leave and he would not get to hear more.

"He envies the dead because he can never be one of them. He can't ever get to where they are."

"That much of a megalomaniac, is he?" he asked, now unable to resist.

"No. He isn't envious because he wants everything. Hell is where you're punished for your sins," she explained. "He's envious because he doesn't _believe_ in anything. Not even the things he paints," she said, right before disappearing with a whoosh.

He dropped the glass, afraid he would crush it between his fingers.

She was right, as always.

It was why he couldn't fill in the background. He _didn't _believe in the existence of it.

He stared morosely at the sketch until the image was branded into the backs of his eyes.

Ever since he'd met Caroline he'd begun burning a significantly larger amount of his work.

It was troublesome.

* * *

So you probably noticed that I completely skipped a conversation between Tyler and Caroline in this chapter and that's what my story will be like. If it's not necessary to the plot and the same information can be relayed some other way, I will not subject you guys to Forwood scenes. Because I don't know about you, but I'd rather read about Klaus painting :D

With Klaus and Caroline's agreement I've also promised you guys that there will be Klaroline scenes in every chapter, sometimes including physical fighting so I hope you're prepared for that!

Also, full disclosure. In this chapter I used the word 'snarkily' which I then found out is not only not a real word, but that the way we understand 'snark' is in fact slang. Apparently the non-Urban dictionary definition is an imaginary animal. Mind=blown. Anyway, I still used it because at this point it is a word in my vocabulary and I am not ruled by society ;)

I'd love a review to hear what you guys thought about his chapter. Did you see Caroline's request coming? I am also up for answering any questions y'all might have :)

Lyrics are from _Undisclosed Desires _by _Muse_.

P.S. In the story summary for this I promise Katoline and I just wanted to clarify that that is going to be completely platonic, lol.


	5. Chapter 5

This chapter introduces a new character and I just wanted to let y'all know that there is absolutely nothing to worry about. I hate love triangles so that is not the new character's purpose _at all_.

Slightly shorter chapter; I beg for forgiveness.

Enjoy :)

* * *

**Chapter 5: Saved**

_I'll be there for you_

_Till my heart is black and blue_

Caroline flipped the switch on the coffee machine, lost in thought.

Suddenly sensing someone behind her, she froze before spinning around, grabbing for the throat and pinning the person to the wall.

"I guess that's a no to the coffee then?" Tyler joked.

She rolled her eyes at him and released her grip. She should scold him for sneaking up on her, but she wasn't in the mood.

"Depends," she snapped, "are you actually going to drink it this time?"

He sighed. "I thought you forgave me."

"I _said_ I'd forgive you for yesterday if you accepted what _I _asked Klaus."

"I thought about it."

"And?" she asked impatiently.

"I decided your offer was very… gracious," he said mockingly, and she rolled her eyes again as he put his arms around her and pulled her in. "But honestly, it's brilliant."

Caroline was confused. Yesterday he'd been furious about her idea of getting Klaus to train her and now he was… endorsing it?

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Klaus is going to be training you, Care. You'll know his weaknesses better than anyone!"

Caroline stepped out of his arms and frowned at him. "You're making this sound like some kind of master plan."

Tyler shrugged. "It doesn't matter whether it is or not. Training you means he'll be making you stronger and himself weaker, without even realising it. We'll have an advantage we never had before. It's genius!"

"Who's 'we'?" she asked slowly.

Tyler hesitated for a moment. "You know, Damon and Stefan, Elena – _us_."

Caroline's frown deepened. Tyler had hardly ever been a part of the group he'd just mentioned. Hell, _she _sometimes got left out of that group.

"You know what, skip the coffee, let's go get some lunch," he said, reaching for her again.

She kept herself out of his reach, uncomfortable for some reason.

"I can't. I have to go to Klaus."

Tyler frowned. "Why?"

She turned away to pour herself a cup of coffee as the machine switched off.

"The thing we were just talking about? Training."

"Oh. Guess I figured it wouldn't start so soon."

"No time to waste," she replied, adding sugar and milk to her cup.

"Ok, then, tomorrow?"

"If it's gonna be a late lunch. I have to be there every day at 12."

"_Every day_?"

Caroline nodded and Tyler scoffed.

"He's smart, I'll give him that."

"Tyler, this is only about learning to protect myself, okay?"

"To you. Klaus always has an agenda."

"Then maybe you shouldn't have tasked him with protecting me," she snapped.

She couldn't stand Tyler only being jealous when it suited him. It was all good and well for _him _to take advantage of Klaus' feelings for her, but when she took the initiative, suddenly he was jealous.

After Damon and Elena yesterday, she was just beginning to get really tired of people trying to control her.

Tyler stepped back, frowning. "I thought we were over that."

Now she felt bad. She didn't want to be that lame girlfriend who brought up things from the past after they'd already settled it.

But on the other hand, that 'past' was only _yesterday. _

And really she'd only forgiven him by default. Her idea had been as crazy as his, so the two seemed to cancel each other out. Neither could reasonably be mad at the other.

She sighed. "I should get dressed, I have to go soon."

"Ok, I'll see you tomorrow."

She nodded and he planted a kiss on her cheek, but she found herself wondering what exactly had happened to tonight.

Guess she'd find her way to entertain herself.

Pulling up to Klaus' house nervously, Caroline swallowed. Last night she'd fallen asleep debating with herself about how good of an idea this had really been.

In theory, as Tyler had pointed out this morning, it was brilliant.

Though her reasoning was worlds different to his.

Having Klaus train her _was_ one of the best ideas she'd ever had. Klaus was a paranoid one thousand year old hybrid who had spent the bulk of that time running from his own father – she couldn't think of anybody better to teach her how to protect herself.

But it wasn't the theory that had swirled around her mind last night as she'd tossed and turned.

She didn't like it and she didn't like accepting it, but the truth was that there was more to it. There was… _something _between her and Klaus.

And it went beyond even the physical attraction which she'd had no choice but to accept after making out with the man on his rooftop.

He was in her head.

That had become more than clear last night when he'd instantly deduced the real reason behind her desire to have him train her.

The way he immediately understood her got under her skin and she wasn't even sure if that was a good thing or not.

And then there was her boyfriend, who didn't seem to think the reason was important at all.

She sighed. That was unfair of her.

Tyler was blinded, and rightfully so, by his hatred for Klaus.

She should actually be seeing what he had done yesterday as the sweet gesture it had been. It must have taken a lot for him to face his mother's murderer just so that he could ensure her protection. Which, judging from the mysterious massacre site in those tunnels yesterday, did not seem like such a bad idea.

She sighed again. The truth was that she was scared of Klaus. She was scared of what else he could figure out about her that she wouldn't even realise about herself until he'd say it.

They had that kind of connection. They knew so much about each other and sometimes she honestly had no idea how.

She was scared of having to come here every day and expose herself to that.

Bringing herself back to her current situation, Caroline realised that she was frozen, her hands gripping the steering wheel manically.

"Seriously, Caroline? You're freaking out. Calm down."

She took a deep breath, then screeched when she realised someone was at her window. Cursing, she rolled it down.

"Just checking that you plan on getting out of the car," Klaus said, smirking.

She put her hands up to her cheeks, mortified. Both by her reaction to being surprised by him and because he'd obviously been watching her for a while.

Hopefully he hadn't seen her talking to herself.

Now it was definitely too late to change her mind. She cleared her throat and opened her car door, climbing out.

"Yeah, of course. Why wouldn't I be?" she snapped lightly.

"Hmmm," he hummed noncommittally. "Well, follow me."

When she realised that they seemed to be heading into the forest surrounding the Mikaelson mansion, Caroline frowned but didn't say anything, knowing Klaus would likely avoid any of her questioning as usual.

After a few minutes of trudging they arrived at what was apparently the correct spot, which Caroline mostly gauged from the fact that in it stood a beautiful strawberry blonde, looking as if she was expecting them.

The woman was tanned, looked about twenty-five years old and had a perfectly trimmed asymmetrical bob. The surrounding shrubbery emphasised the striking quality of her emerald eyes, contrasting with the bright red lipstick she wore. Paired with that was skin-tight jeans and a loosely hanging semi-sheer white top with stiletto boots.

In a word, she was gorgeous.

Suddenly Caroline felt very self-conscious in her unassuming tracksuit.

"Caroline, this is Mia."

"Caroline, nice to meet you."

She had an accent. It was Italian and heavy but her perfectly-rounded words were those of a speaker with a confidence in English that usually came with one's first language.

"Likewise," Caroline responded politely, then looked questioningly at Klaus.

"Caroline, Mia is six hundred years old. She's here because I thought it would be prudent not to throw you into the metaphorical deep end."

Caroline watched with a weird tingling in her stomach the way Mia seemed to hang onto Klaus' every word.

"It seemed sensible to ensure you've perfected the basics before we start on technique." He looked over at Mia. "Mia here is an accomplished fighter."

"I've heard great things about you, Caroline," Mia said, smiling cordially.

Caroline suddenly felt strangely trapped, as if she'd unwittingly stepped into a situation she wasn't prepared for. And that it was officially too late to get out of it.

"Caroline, I'll take your jacket," Klaus said, stepping forward.

She mechanically pulled down her zipper and handed her jacket to him, feeling vulnerable without the added layer.

He stepped back again. "I'll be right here, watching you two ladies spar. Perhaps giving a few tips," Klaus smirked.

"Ok, Caroline, I want you to close your eyes," Mia said softly, her accent becoming more pronounced.

Caroline gulped then did as she was told.

She felt really uncomfortable. She was about to 'spar' with a vampire 599 years older than her while a thousand year old one watched. That was just awkward, even before you considered the kinky implications.

"Now, I want you to keep my age in mind but don't feel intimidated by it," Mia started.

Klaus had clearly briefed her about the reason for the training exercise. Caroline found it surprising that Klaus trusted this mysterious woman enough to do so. She wondered for the fiftieth time in the past two minutes exactly what their relationship was.

"Take a deep breath and when I tell you to open your eyes… be ready to rip me apart," she finished violently, taking Caroline aback.

"Open!" she commanded, before darting forward.

Klaus watched as the two women engaged in a blur of fighting that would be impossible for a human to trace. He was glad for his vampire abilities and the additional way he had trained himself to watch for the subtleties that were essential in following a battle like this.

Caroline held her own, ducking swiftly as Mia attempted to land punch after punch.

She made a move to get behind Mia but wasn't fast enough.

Mia's punch landed heavily on Caroline's shoulder and Caroline groaned loudly, right before disappearing.

Mia looked perplexed before Caroline suddenly re-appeared behind her, clearly ready for more offensive tactics.

Now Mia was on the defensive as Caroline swiftly swung her legs and punches at Mia furiously.

Mia countered by dropping down and kicking Caroline's legs out from under her.

Caroline was up in a moment but Mia had expected that. Taking advantage of Caroline's momentarily distracted state, Mia expertly finished her move by shoving Caroline into a tree halfway across the land her and Klaus had cleared that morning for the lesson.

Klaus smirked. It was Mia's incredible strength which allowed her the ability to pull off that move, combined with her gutsiness even to consider it.

Though the large distance softened the impact, Caroline looked shocked as she hit the tree.

And angry.

She charged at Mia in a blur.

"Not in a straight line, love," Klaus called out, and Caroline began to feint left and right before disappearing altogether once more.

She re-appeared behind Mia again only this time her move proved successful. She kneed Mia in the back, clearly now realising the seriousness of the exercise despite Klaus lightly calling it a 'spar'.

It made him smile that Caroline had gotten one over on Mia so fast.

"Back to basics, ladies," Klaus called.

Mia jumped into an erect position with a single fluid movement before their fighting became a flurry of arms and legs as the two began to engage in more usual sparring.

"Higher kicks," he yelled at some point, followed shortly by, "Quicker jabs! Protect your face!"

Mia brought her leg up expertly, connecting her calf with Caroline's forearm as Caroline was mid-punch.

Klaus knew even before it had been fully executed that it was a winning move.

The leg hit took perfect advantage of the temporary instability provided by Caroline's punch. As Caroline toppled, Mia ended the move with a forceful punch to the gut, causing Caroline to land unceremoniously on her butt some distance away.

Klaus smiled. This was going well. Caroline was faring better than she probably thought she was.

He began to applaud slowly and Mia smiled before extending a hand to help Caroline up. Caroline took it, breathing a little heavily.

"Ladies, that was quite something. Now that you're all warmed up, let's really get into it, shall we?" he said cruelly, knowing full well that it hadn't been a warm-up for either of them.

"Care to join us for a drink, Caroline?" Klaus asked as they made their way up to the house two hours later.

The girls seemed exhausted but Klaus was mostly amused. He'd spent the past two and a half hours doing little more than watching two women fight. And as appealing as that had been, what really interested him was how quickly Caroline learned. As soon as he issued it, she would put his advice into practise and then immediately improve. She was remarkable.

He watched her eyes roam between her and Mia before she shook her head.

"Nope, I'm good, thanks."

They all stopped, aware that they would have to say their goodbyes here in order for them to go their separate ways.

"Caroline, it was an honour to fight with you today. I look forward to tomorrow."

"Thanks, Mia. Same. Um, see you tomorrow," she said, addressing the goodbye to both of them before heading to her car.

"Are you sure you have to leave?" Mia called out.

"Yeah, sorry. My boyfriend's waiting for me," Caroline replied before hurriedly moving towards her Ford again.

Mia shrugged, slightly disappointed. She had been looking forward to getting to know Caroline, Klaus could tell.

Getting to her car, Caroline climbed in and watched Mia and Klaus walk up to his mansion. They walked closely, with the proximity of intimate friends.

But what kind of intimacy did they have, exactly?

And who was Mia, anyway? Klaus' introduction had been pretty lacklustre. She supposed she should have stuck around for drinks to find out, instead of lying to get out of it, but she'd felt too uncomfortable with the dynamic between the three of them. Mostly because she had no idea what it _was_. Hell, whatever was between her and Klaus was enough to confuse the crap out of her.

_Ok_. Tyler was most definitely _not _waiting for her, so how was she going to spend the rest of her day? Her mother had a night shift, as usual.

Rounding her shoulders as she sighed in thought, Caroline noted a bit of stiffness. Mia did _not_ mess around when it came to fighting. Klaus had some understating when he'd said that she was an accomplished fighter.

It made Caroline nervous to fight Klaus himself.

She rubbed a shoulder then breathed resolutely. She'd start there: a huge scalding bath with tons and tons of bubbles.

Hopefully it would help her sort out the cobwebs in her mind.

* * *

"Well, just say it, then," Klaus said once he had poured and passed Mia a drink.

She smirked, amused as she turned.

"I didn't ask this morning because I thought it was obvious. Three hundred years and I've never known you to do anything like this for _anybody_." She turned to survey his house. "But then she said she has a boyfriend and now I'm utterly confused."

She smiled as he regarded her thoughtfully, then gestured at the top she was wearing. It was smeared with mud and leaf stains.

"I should change."

"That's your fault for wearing white."

She started her way up the stairs, navigating his house proficiently even though she'd never been there before. He followed.

"Well I'll admit I didn't expect your… friend to be so good."

"Despite my glowing recommendations?"

"Another reason I felt certain it was something more than friendship."

He sucked in a breath. He supposed he had to address it. The problem was that he was simply at a loss for words even to describe what she wanted explained.

"I wouldn't call it that, exactly," he started.

She turned around to grin at him. "And what _would_ you call it?" she asked, before turning back around to examine the bedroom doors. "Think Rebekah would mind if I borrowed a top?"

"Doubtful. Though she doesn't live here so I can't promise an array."

"It needn't be fashionable. It's only you here, after all," she said, winking.

He smiled and followed her into Rebekah's room. When they had passed the threshold she spun around to him with a raised brow.

He sighed. "I don't know what I'd call it, honestly."

She chuckled and began rifling through his sister's chest of drawers before holding up a blood red vest.

"Too much, with the lips?"

"You look good in anything," he replied, shrugging.

She laughed soundlessly. "Ever the charmer."

He made his way to Rebekah's bed and leaned against one of its posts.

"Yet never good enough for you," he said, bringing up an old argument of theirs.

She rolled her eyes at him humorously. "Probably would've been if you were interested in something more than a night," she said loftily, before resuming her browsing.

"Hmmm, I could do two," he teased.

"Flirting with me while you're crushing on another girl. Tsk tsk tsk," she tutted.

"I don't have crushes, I'm not a ten year old boy," he replied in annoyance.

Truthfully the source of his irritation came from the fact that she had just accurately described exactly how his relationship with Caroline sometimes felt.

Mia nodded mockingly, only pretending to agree with him. At last she pulled out something very similar to her original top, this time in a dark blue colour. She pulled off her soiled top, then the cropped top she'd been wearing underneath. Placing both on the chest of drawers, she gave Klaus ample time to take in her lacy cream bra. She turned to him, giving him a frontal view, before pulling on his sister's top.

"So where is the more mannered brother?"

"She asks as she undresses in front of the other."

She smirked. "Nothing you haven't seen before."

"That was an accident."

"Because men always 'accidentally' walk into bathrooms right after women have just come out of the shower," she said sarcastically.

"You aren't ever going to let that go, are you?"

"I might need another two hundred years."

She began stalking around the room, examining what little Rebekah had left behind. Though his sister had made a point of leaving him alone for good, she had not been able to take everything, what with her globetrotting.

"_Elijah_?" Mia pressed.

"Not here at the moment. Probably with Katerina, as is quite often the case these days."

"A shame," she said, watching him carefully to gauge his reaction. "He was always my favourite brother." She considered for a moment. "Besides Kol, perhaps. Now he was _fun_," she said, laughing fondly.

"You know of his passing," he noted.

"I may not be you, Klaus, but I have my sources. My condolences, by the way. And for the rest of your family," she said, wincing. "Originals are becoming extinct, huh?"

She smiled, continuing her tour of the room. He couldn't tell what she was still so interested in, but he folded his arms, miffed.

"I was always your favourite. Precisely because I'm a mix of my brothers Kol and Elijah, I believe."

She smirked at Klaus, not even bothering to deny his statement. "Jealous?"

"My brothers took to a particular kind of fondness for you. I don't like others messing with what's mine."

"_Yours_?" she asked, grinning. "Your what exactly, Klaus? We've never even been friends."

"Now that's hurtful."

"But true."

He shrugged. It _was _true. He didn't have friends.

Mia had, a long time ago, sought to be his friend but his sole interest had been in something far different. Ever since she had closed herself off to him, intent on making him want what he could never have as she continued to want from him what she could never have.

And, somehow, an unlikely sort of trust had developed between the two.

"Strange, then," she noted, bringing him out of his reverie.

She sat on Rebekah's bed now, cross-legged. He went to join her.

"What?"

"You don't like others messing with what's yours and yet the boyfriend of the woman you have a crush on still lives."

He sighed. "Not for lack of ambition."

She frowned, awaiting an explanation.

"I got the feeling that she might have been averse to me killing him."

"Ah," she nodded in understanding, grinning.

"Initially I ran him out of town, but it only seemed to distance me and Caroline more."

He laid backwards, his hands behind his head, exhausted just by the brief telling of the morbid tale.

"So I allowed him to return and now instead we're… here."

He wanted to tell Mia everything: about kissing Caroline on the rooftop after she herself had Dared him to, about how he'd told her he would be her last love right before leaving for new Orleans – and her resulting anger. But the first was a secret between him and Caroline and the rest was too depressing to think about.

"I like her," Mia said in lieu of advice.

He turned to look at her in surprise.

"What? I automatically have the highest respect for any woman who can soften that organ inside your rib cage."

Klaus looked into Mia's brilliant green eyes, for the very first time considering how much his rejection of something real with her must have hurt.

Probably because he now knew how it felt.

"Not sure that _she _believes I have a heart," he responded as he got up, avoiding an apology.

He knew she would only mock it. Some day he would make it up to her.

"Hmmm, I disagree," Mia replied once he had crossed half the room.

He turned back around, frowning. "What do you mean?"

"I saw the way she looked at you, Klaus. Caroline is at least a little infatuated with you. And unless she has a thing for heartless men, I think she knows _exactly_ who you are."

He blinked, unsure of what to do with her assessment.

_Anybody capable of love is capable of being _saved_._

_Saved. _

Klaus cleared his throat, observing that she wasn't following. "You're staying?"

"I'll think I'll have a nap until Elijah returns," she replied as she propped herself up on an elbow.

He inclined his head, then had a thought. "Why not stay? I can assure you that it's far more accommodating than anything else Mystic Falls has to offer."

"Thank you, Niklaus. But I'd rather not stay over in the Mikaelson mansion," she said, a hint of hurt evident in her tone which not even her accent could disguise. She lied back down. "I will see you and Caroline in the morning."

He nodded speechlessly before exiting.

Yes, one day he would make it up to her. But for right now he had to focus on his own heartbreak.

* * *

Ok, I'm nervous. What did you guys think of Mia? No worries, she is not a huge character but, much like Tyler, she will have her own role to play in my story. Like I've said before, this story is also about Klaus and Caroline as separate characters and in this chapter I think Mia was helpful in fleshing out what Klaus feels about things and also a little bit of his past.

I'm overjoyed by how excited you guys were about Klaus and Caroline's training sessions and I promise their one-on-ones are on the way. I just thought it seemed logical to have an intermediary stage to bridge the gap between what Caroline knows and what Klaus knows. So nope, Mia will not be here too long.

You'll notice I emphasised the word 'saved'. Now look guys, I love that moment in the show when Caroline says that to him and his reaction. But the thing is that I don't think I want Klaus to be saved and I'm not sure it's something he wants either, because if I know Klaus well enough then he just does not think he deserves it; he does not think anything can erase his 1000 years of evil deeds. So what she said scrapes on his mind a bit. I hope to bring Caroline to a point where she doesn't want Klaus to be 'saved' in order to be with him. Where it won't be about the morals or the deeds or any of his 'evil'. She will just want _him_. Exactly the way he is even if he has changed for her. - - = my visual representation of this story.

Anyway you guys have no idea how much faster I edit and update because of your reviews so please keep doing that so I can consistently get them out to you :)

Lyrics from _Breakdown _by _Breaking Benjamin_.

P.S. I can promise far more Klaroline in the next one :)


	6. Chapter 6

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE FOLLOWS AND FAVES. You guys are amazing and I find it incredibly flattering that you trust me with these characters that much and that you like my story. So thank you and I hope you keep enjoying it :)

Also to all reviewers, thank you so so so much, you guys got me through what has probably been my most stressful week of university thus far. Well, you guys and tons and tons of green tea anyway, because caffeine.

This chapter introduces my second and final new character to the story and he pretty much just does a really good job of explaining some things I need explained so don't get too attached ;)

* * *

**Chapter 6: Join Me**

_You are the piece of me I wish I didn't need_

_Chasing relentlessly _

_I still fight and I don't know why_

"I shared a fascinating conversation with Mia yesterday evening."

Klaus rolled his eyes. "Riveting information, thank you, brother."

"Still with the Italian accent, I hear."

Klaus' jaw twitched. For some reason, though Klaus felt sure that she trusted him more, Mia had the paradoxical compulsion of telling Elijah more about herself. Klaus supposed that she didn't see the need to appear as mysterious with Elijah as she did with him. Still, he had always suspected that his brother knew Mia's true place of origin and it annoyed him that he didn't.

"I hadn't even known she was in town," Elijah continued.

"Yes, well, it was a rather spur of the moment decision. And since the mansion you spend the bulk of your time in is not this one, it should come as no surprise that you didn't know."

Elijah pulled on his suit jacket before pouring himself a cup of coffee. He knew that his brother still disapproved of his relationship with Katerina and thus the amount of time that he spent at the Salvatores'.

Elijah had done his utmost to persuade her into accompanying him here, but she remained too paranoid. Despite her inability to die by anything other than natural means, she still feared her long list of enemies. Death, after all, was not the worst form of punishment.

And Klaus certainly was not the last person on her list.

"Since you seem to know so much about how I allocate my time, perhaps you could enlighten me about what has been occurring here?"

"Mia didn't tell you?"

"No, she merely said that she was helping you with something."

Klaus smiled. He liked that Mia kept secrets he hadn't even asked her to keep.

"I'm training Caroline."

"Excuse me?" Elijah asked.

"I'm training Caroline to protect herself. She asked me to and I'm obliging."

"How gracious of you," Elijah replied drily, and Klaus wasn't sure whether his brother was being sarcastic or not.

"What is Mia's part in all this?"

"She's acting as the bridge from Caroline's current amount of training to a point where I can begin training her at an advanced level."

"Mia _is_ an exceptional fighter," Elijah observed.

"Caroline has been faring tremendously. I predict that I will be able to take over by the end of the week."

"Are you sure this is a good idea, brother?"

Klaus looked up, frowning. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Is training Caroline truly the best use of your time?" Elijah asked pointedly.

"I can't think of anything better," Klaus replied stubbornly.

"Very well, Niklaus, but I must warn you that I do not see this ending well."

Klaus rolled his eyes, about to reply snottily when his brother spoke up again.

"And now we must speak of arrangements for the end of the week."

Klaus cocked his head in confusion, clueless as to what else his brother could possibly need to discuss.

* * *

Caroline arrived at the Mikaelson mansion at noon exactly. Not wanting a repeat of the embarrassment she'd suffered at Klaus' hands yesterday, she got out of her car immediately and made her way to the spot in the forest they'd been in yesterday.

She was surprised to find Mia waiting there solitarily. She wondered if the rest of her lessons would be Klaus-free now until Mia had deemed her capable of holding her own against him.

"Mia."

"Caroline, hello."

Mia stepped forward, curiously, as if she aimed to give Caroline a hug or a handshake, but stopped short, seeming to think better of whatever action she'd been about to perform. Caroline noticed that she was dressed slightly more practically today. She wore the same boots and jeans but had swapped out the pretty top for a plain back T-shirt and had tied up her hair.

"Klaus is taking care of something; he'll be a little late. He's asked me to continue the lesson with you."

Caroline nodded. There was something she found so charming about the way Mia spoke. She wasn't sure if it was her tone, the pace she spoke at, her diction or her accent, but it was appealing.

It didn't make Caroline feel any better about the slight jealousy she'd finally been able to label in the bath yesterday.

"Ok then, let's begin," she said, stepping back and allowing Caroline the identical spot she had started at yesterday.

They began to spar again, this time sticking to the definition of the fighting term. Caroline expected Mia to kick it up a notch any time now but in the meantime she would use it to her advantage.

"How do you know Klaus?" she asked straightforwardly.

She'd realised yesterday that what had been bothering her was the sense that Mia had a closer relationship with Klaus than she did. She wasn't sure why that affected her or what it meant, but she figured that the best way to deal with it was by tackling it head-on.

"We probably shouldn't talk," Mia replied, but then seemed to think better of this too, as she continued. "We met three hundred years ago in a seedy underground bar in Tokyo. He was there for the culture and I was there for the cuisine."

Caroline was about to point out that food counted as culture when she realised Mia must have been referring to sustenance of a more human nature.

Her resulting hesitation earned her a punch in the gut.

"We hit it off right away, spending the ensuing week together. I fell in love and he fell in lust. But he was so taken with me that even after we parted ways we always kept in touch. Sometimes, like now, he needs me and I come."

Caroline felt overwhelmed by this information but she couldn't afford to let it affect her too much. Not least because she was fighting a vampire centuries older than her.

"How do _you_ know Klaus?" Mia asked, turning the tables.

Caroline smirked as she ducked. "He came to town to destroy and conquer. We had, like, three pseudo-meetings."

"Which stands out?"

Mia delivered a roundhouse kick. Caroline sidestepped.

"He forced my boyfriend to bite me to prove the efficacy of the sire bond. Then he came to my house to give me the cure."

"His blood," Mia finished, more in the know than Caroline had been expecting.

As far as Caroline knew, the majority of the supernatural world was still mostly unaware of the existence of werewolves, never mind hybrid bites and the cure. She wondered if Mia knew because Klaus kept her up to date. She really was having the hardest time piecing together their relationship.

"Interesting," Mia noted, before dropping her forearm on Caroline's shoulder with a force that dropped the blonde.

From her new position Caroline easily kicked Mia's legs out from under her. Both on the floor breathing heavily, Caroline took her opportunity.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Why not?" Mia responded, sitting up and leaning back on her hands.

"Do you still love him?"

Mia smiled pityingly, as if in sympathy with how naïve Caroline was.

"You don't just fall out of love with a man like Niklaus, Caroline." Her smile softened. "You'll see."

From behind them came an audible bluster and they turned just in time to see Klaus appear.

"Taking a break, ladies?"

* * *

Caroline pulled up in her driveway after another two and a half hour session. She'd thought yesterday had been a once-off but apparently this was the length Klaus had decided on for their sessions.

Her mind was still reeling from the information she'd gained from Mia today, but at least her body didn't hurt as much. She loved the learning curve that vampirism afforded her.

Grabbing her bag, she swung it around her body as she got out of the car and headed to her front door.

She was halfway up her porch steps when she froze.

Somebody was watching her. She could feel it.

She gulped, remembering all those dismembered bodies in the tunnels.

Forcing movement back into her legs, she pushed them forward as she climbed the next step and then the next one.

She reached for her keys in her handbag, pretending to pull them out.

Instead she sped away and into the shrubbery in her backyard. After taking a few seconds to collect herself, she sped forward to the spot she had felt a pair of eyes on her from.

It was a man, not much taller than her.

He swung his arm but she was too fast. She dropped down, using her momentum to slide across and swing her leg, knocking him off his feet.

She slung an arm around his neck, gripping it tightly as she dragged him over to a tree. Caroline reached for a branch with her free hand, breaking it off sharply to create a jagged edge. She was about to jam it through his heart when the man yelled out.

"No, please! I work for Klaus!"

Caroline faltered, but lowered the branch.

"You what?"

"My name is Carl and I'm here because of Klaus. I'm keeping a lookout on you and your house."

She released her arm around his neck and he stood up coughing.

"Are you a hybrid?" Caroline asked.

She had no idea whether Klaus had gone to Katherine for doppelgänger blood or not.

"No," Carl scoffed, looking offended. "I'm a vampire."

"Oh. S-sorry," she apologised, not wanting to offend him but feeling ashamed for doing so all the same, considering her boyfriend was a hybrid.

"It's ok." His eyes widened as he seemed to realise something. "Are _you_ ok?"

She looked at him in surprise. Seriously? She had been the one to attack him and he hadn't had the time to lay a hand on her.

He was staring at her sincerely though, so she answered in the affirmative.

"You're one of Klaus' spies, aren't you?"

He scoffed, looking offended again. "I'm proud to be on _protection detail_ for you, Miss Forbes."

She frowned. Carl was definitely from the same stock of Klaus' spies on the town and yet he seemed insistent that he was only here to protect her.

"Caroline, please. Um, are _you _ok?"

She nodded and her brain finally felt safe enough to become way less busy trying to absorb information and more focused on Carl's physical aspects apart from height. Then it began to make sense why nothing more had struck her at first about him. He was the bodyguard type, really. There were no distinguishing features about him at all. He had cropped brown hair, brown eyes and milky skin.

She felt curiosity bubble up within her.

"Hey, do you wanna come inside? Have a beer?"

He considered for a moment. "I guess I'd still be protecting you, so sure."

She smiled politely before making her way back to her front door and she was halfway there when she realised.

Turning back, she smiled apologetically at the vampire right on her heels.

"Crap, I forgot, sorry. I can't actually invite you in."

He smiled too as if it should have occurred to him sooner. "Right."

"But I can totally bring your beer out here. Have a seat, ok?" she said, grinning before heading inside to find one of Tyler's cold beverages.

When she got back he was seated on the chair on her porch, slowly surveying the front yard.

"Your beer," she offered, passing it to him.

"Thank you."

"So. I'm interested. How exactly does a vampire like yourself get into this line of work? Is Klaus blackmailing you?" she asked suspiciously.

Carl looked surprised, then smiled. "No, not at all. I'm here voluntarily."

Now it was Caroline's turn to be surprised. "You _wanted _to come to a tiny town in Virginia to protect some girl?"

He laughed at her phrasing and shook his head. "Not exactly, no." He hesitated for a moment, then continued: "You don't seem to know this, but the Originals are like royalty in the vampire world. I mean, we don't have meetings or anything weird like that, but it's pretty well known that if you help an Original… you're practically set for eternity."

Caroline sat back, thinking it over. She had never thought about it that way, but she supposed it made a sort of sense.

She remembered when Elena had been kidnapped by Rose to be handed over to Elijah.

Or when Elena had attempted to hand herself over to Klaus by contacting the 'right' vampires to get the message to him.

She hadn't ever given much thought to how the Originals were regarded by vampires outside of this town, but it now it was becoming clearer. How could you really be the most powerful creature on earth unless you had followers willing to do your bidding? That was just Villainy 101 from every movie she'd ever watched.

And Klaus' hybrids. She had assumed they were so he would have people to rely on but maybe it had been more that. Maybe he'd wanted people he could trust: an army that was loyal solely to him.

"So Klaus, he trusts you to protect me just because you came voluntarily?"

He laughed and for the second time that day she was gazed at as if she were a naïve girl.

"No, I'm compelled."

Caroline's mouth fell open in horror. She hated being compelled and felt revolted knowing Klaus had done so to this poor guy. But Carl seemed weirdly really calm about it all.

"You don't mind being compelled?"

"If it means he'll trust me completely with your life, of course not."

Caroline looked at him, seriously pondering his sanity, when he smiled softly at her.

"Look, Caroline. I know those Original siblings are batshit crazy most of the time, don't get me wrong. But I also know the prestige associated with working for them. In the vampire world out there," he said, gesturing toward the open road in front of her house, "there are few things less valuable than being trusted by an Original."

Caroline exhaled heavily. This was all a bit weird for her. To her Klaus, Rebekah and Elijah were just those three really old and powerful vampires who were mostly batty almost all of the time. One of whom she may have made out with. Twice.

But here was a man who swore that he, and a legion of others out there like him, regarded the three of them as a weird type of royalty.

This town really was way too small.

"Well why compel you then?"

Carl grinned, standing up. "Because when the safety of your girl is the most important thing in your life, you don't leave anything to chance."

* * *

"You're early," Klaus noted, turning around as Caroline entered his home.

Caroline nodded. "I met Carl yesterday afternoon."

Klaus frowned. "Who?"

"Carl. The guy you have stationed outside my house."

"Ah," he said, snapping his fingers as he realised. "It would appear he's not doing a proficient job of maintaining a low profile then."

Caroline shrugged. "In his defence, me having lived in Mystic Falls for the past year has made that pretty difficult for anyone."

He smirked. "You think it's impossible to sneak up on you?"

She grinned boastfully. "I'd say pretty difficult, not impossible."

He smiled, shaking his head. She really was too adorable.

"He's a nice guy."

Klaus frowned, confused for a moment about whom she was speaking of. Then he remembered they were still talking about Carl.

"Yes, he's very skilled."

She laughed. "By 'nice', I meant nice, Klaus."

"How do you know he's 'nice'?"

"We spoke. He had a beer."

"Good to know you're fraternising with the help," Klaus responded in a tone that suggested it was not something he liked knowing at all.

Caroline laughed again, beginning to close the distance between them.

"What did you mean, that he's very skilled?"

Klaus was becoming acutely annoyed by the fact that that they were still talking about this Carl person.

"I hand-picked him to protect you, Caroline. I wouldn't just leave your fate in the hands of any vampire. Only the best for you," he added, smiling.

He felt accomplished when she blushed and looked away.

"He can't be that good."

"And why not?" Klaus asked, continuing the task she'd abandoned of closing the distance between them.

"I almost killed him when I realised that someone was watching me."

Klaus stopped dead. "Is that so?"

"Yip. Not to brag or anything, but thirty seconds flat," Caroline said, smiling in a way that made it clear that she very much _was _bragging.

Klaus smiled back, clearly impressed. And, more amazingly, proud.

He seemed proud of her.

And she had no idea why that brought her so much joy, but it really did.

"I assure you, he was the best of the lot of volunteers. I fought him myself."

He liked the way her eyes widened in response to that.

"I took him by surprise," she excused her success.

"Or perhaps it was something more," he responded cryptically, smirking.

He closed the last distance between them, settling into the rather familiar intimate proximity they seemed unable to stay away from whenever they were together now.

Her breath caught and he took the opportunity.

"Join me for a drink afterward? You always rush off."

Caroline wanted to retort that it had only been two days and thus could not qualify as 'always', but the witty reply didn't make it to her tongue. She still wasn't used to being this close to him, despite it becoming a regular occurrence with them recently. Except with the lessons.

But he had said me.

'Join me'.

Join me, not _us. _

He was determined to persuade her before it even occurred to her to say no.

"Iced tea, I made it myself."

She raised an eyebrow. "You made it _yourself_?"

"Well not technically, but it is my recipe."

A smile broke out on her face, both amused and mocking. "You have a recipe for iced tea?"

"Are you making this deliberately difficult?"

No, she was just trying to think of a way to say no.

But it was just too damn enticing.

"I can do iced tea," she accepted simply.

He grinned. "It's going to change your world."

"Hmmm sure," she said, about to tease him when she heard footsteps behind her.

"Figured you two were still in here. It's a beautiful day out there," Mia said, smiling.

Caroline lowered herself to the thick bed of dry leaves as soon as Klaus called time.

She'd given every ounce of energy she'd had today, feeling extra pressure after she'd told Klaus about her encounter with Carl. She'd felt the need to prove herself; prove that she was capable of what she'd told him.

But now she was nothing less than utterly exhausted.

"I have to leave," Mia announced hastily. "Goodbye, Caroline," Mia greeted as politely as usual.

She began walking off at a human pace, right past Klaus.

He turned to Caroline. "I'll be right back," he said, before following.

Caroline wondered if he was going to call Mia a cab.

She felt miffed that it had been three days and she still hadn't really figured out the relationship between them. Sure, Mia had admitted to being in love with Klaus but that said nothing about his feelings for her, nor their actual relationship.

Then she circled back to the question she kept getting back to after she would spend a significant amount of time thinking about it.

Why did she _care_?

Ugh, it was so frustrating. Everything about herself and Klaus confused her.

They were supposed to be enemies but they were friends.

He'd chased her boyfriend out of town then let him return, along with a heart-stopping announcement of his intentions.

At one point they had made out and she may or may not have been planning to break up with her boyfriend because of him.

He'd left town, she'd moved on and now he was back and seemingly interested in her again.

And no matter how many times, and there were _countless _amounts of times, that she told herself that she didn't return that interest, it was a lie.

She was attracted to him. Really, you'd have to be blind not to be (and even then – that _accent_).

And she liked him. Somehow, she liked him.

In the strangest of ways he knew her and she knew him, but did any of it even matter?

She had a boyfriend. She may have faltered about that a few times, but she'd made the decision to stay with him and she was sticking with it. She loved Tyler.

And even if she didn't, she couldn't be with Klaus.

That was the truth of the situation.

She couldn't be with Klaus.

He couldn't and wouldn't be good for her. She couldn't be with the villain. He wouldn't fit into her life and her friends would hate her.

Caroline took a deep breath. That had felt good to sort out in her mind.

The problem was… the problem was that she had done that so many times already.

_So many times_. It was a flow chart she had to follow now. She knew it off by heart, knew which factor would lead to the next.

She knew Klaus thought she was in denial but it wasn't that. She knew how she felt about everything. About him, about Tyler, about her friends. She had accepted all of it. And the inevitable conclusion was that she just couldn't be with him.

And yet, whenever she was with him, all of that just went right out the window.

His words sent hope running through her veins. His breath tickled her insides; his accent ran shivers down the planes of her arms.

She began to wonder about relationships he shared with random foreign women even though it was technically none of her business. She craved his smell and his smile and him watching her; watching her move and battle and fight for his pride.

And when she _wasn't_ with him, it was simple: she craved _him_.

Caroline grabbed two fistfuls of the leaves beside her in frustration. She couldn't even control her thoughts anymore. She couldn't trust herself with him.

She needed to get out of here.

Hoping that Klaus had decided to drive Mia to wherever she lived himself, she stood up and gathered her things.

She was about to speed off to her car, when she saw Klaus out of the corner of her eye.

"That took long enough," she noted coldly.

"Just seeing Mia off. She had a few things to tell me."

Caroline frowned but didn't question it, pulling her oversized bag over her shoulder.

"Ready to come inside?" he asked, gesturing towards the house.

She really didn't want to. Or maybe the problem was that she really _did _want to.

She _shouldn't_.

"Yeah," she replied, falling into step beside him.

"And what about for my iced tea?"

She smiled. "I'll warn you, I'm sceptical."

They stepped into his mansion.

"Thank you, that does wonders for my ego."

She scoffed. "As if you need it. Besides, can you blame me? All I've ever seen drunk in this house is blood and alcohol."

"We also stock water from time to time," he griped, and she laughed.

"Where are we going?" Caroline asked suspiciously as they started heading toward a part of his house she'd never ventured into before.

"The kitchen."

"You have a _kitchen_?" she asked sarcastically and he rolled his eyes.

He opened the swing door for her and as she entered she realised that _hell yeah _he had a kitchen. Her eyes widened. It was massive, of course. But better yet, it was immaculate and every surface sparkled.

It was like it was made for her.

He smirked at the look of wonder on her face before pulling out a chair for her at the kitchen island that was pretty much a dining room table all by itself.

"Prepare to have your world changed."

She rolled her eyes but sat down on the chair he offered as she watched him make his way to the fridge.

"You did a fantastic job today," he said as he poured the brown liquid into two tall glasses.

"Thanks," Caroline said, shifting awkwardly.

She wanted to ask him about it. It was definitely going to be all kinds of embarrassing, but if she didn't then it would just drive her crazy wondering.

"Can I ask you a question?"

Klaus smirked. "You know I never mind you asking, love."

She rolled her eyes. No, he never minded her asking. He just didn't answer unless it suited him.

He passed her a glass and she took it silently, preparing her question.

"What's the deal with you and Mia?"

"The _deal_?" he asked for clarification, the word an alien coming off his tongue.

"Yeah. Like, are you two…" she drifted off.

He seemed to expect more but that was all she could manage. She was already embarrassed enough as it was.

It took a few seconds for him to realise that she wasn't going to add anything else.

"Uh, Mia and I are…" now he drifted off, taking a sip of his drink as he thought. "Acquaintances. From a long time ago."

"Three hundred years ago. In Tokyo. I know, Mia told me. She said you spent a week together."

The surprise was etched on his face. She felt strangely triumphant that she'd managed to drop a bombshell on him for once.

"Well then you know quite a bit of the story already, don't you?"

"That's all she told me."

"There isn't much more. That week she showed me plenty."

Caroline winced. "Ok, I _really_ don't need to hear the sordid details."

Klaus smirked. "There are no 'sordid details', Caroline. She showed me Tokyo. Nothing more happened."

Caroline folded her arms. "She told me she was in love with you."

"As she wanted me to be with her. Unfortunately, it wasn't something I could give her."

"Because you don't love."

"No. I _didn't_," he responded simply, like it didn't mean a million things.

Caroline blushed, looking at the ground and cursing the fact that Klaus only seemed interested in immediately and honestly answering her questions when it had to do with his feelings about her.

It played havoc with her mind.

"So she knows about me, then? But you can call her here and she just comes to help you help some other woman?"

She wanted to say a woman that he _did _love, but she couldn't manage it. She found it too presumptuous to say to the man himself. Besides, if she were honest with herself, she didn't really one hundred percent believe it yet. It just didn't seem like something that could be true.

"Well, Mia isn't the sort of person who – "

"What? Gets jealous?" Caroline cut him off, annoyed by the inherent comparison.

" – attempts to fight a losing battle," he finished, frowning at her. "She didn't do it three hundred years ago, she didn't do it about me now, and she won't be doing it tomorrow with you."

Caroline frowned too. "What do you mean, tomorrow?"

"Mia suggested it and I agreed. Your time with her is over, Caroline. As of tomorrow I will be taking over your training."

Caroline's eyes widened and he laughed.

"Don't look so shocked, Caroline. You knew this was coming."

"Yeah, but not this soon!"

"Well you learn at an amazing rate, Caroline. You almost killed a four hundred year old vampire last night and today you fought Mia to the point that she could hardly beat you without encroaching on my territory. Technique," he clarified.

Caroline's eyes grew even larger. Carl had failed to mention his age last night. She gulped, knowing she still had to keep her cool around Klaus no matter how worried she may be.

"I wasn't shocked. Just nervous," she said, before taking her first sip of the iced tea.

Klaus smiled. "Nervous? It's only me."

She frowned after her tiny sip, before turning to Klaus distractedly.

"_Only you_? And by that you mean a one thousand year old Original hybrid?"

She took a larger sip of her drink, closing her eyes as the icy liquid soothed its way down her throat. There were so many flavours working together in her mouth right now. She tasted the presence of several fruit: raspberries, blueberries and a bit of pineapple. Then there was a slight hint of mint and the tea itself, a flavour Caroline couldn't ascertain.

"Oh my god. That is the best iced tea I have ever had," Caroline concluded, her eyes wide.

Klaus was smiling, pleased by her reaction. "Told you."

"This is so not cool, Klaus. You've ruined me."

Klaus frowned, confused by her meaning.

"I can't ever drink normal iced tea again!"

"It's fortunate I'm not going anywhere then," he said, grinning as he held her eyes with his own.

It was a promise.

No more sudden trips to New Orleans without goodbyes; he was here to stay.

More days like this.

She looked away, breaking the spell. He laughed nervously, grappling for a change of topic; perhaps what they had been discussing before.

"Well, as I said, you almost killed Carl last night. And Mia handed you over to me."

"Hmmm, I guess four hundred and six hundred does equal a thousand."

He smirked. "Glad you're getting better at Math, love."

She nudged him playfully as she laughed. She liked the way he made fun of her Math skills ever since she'd failed to see the other possibility of drawing that triangle. Mostly because she'd been so distracted by _him_.

She took another large gulp of her iced tea.

"You better take it easy on me," she warned, before going back to her delicious drink.

"Come on sweetheart, you know I'd never hurt you."

"Excluding the two times you almost killed me of course," she said sarcastically.

"Of course," he agreed, smiling conspiratorially.

She rolled her eyes but smiled too as she finished the last of her drink.

"I have to go. Thanks for the iced tea."

She stood up and he did the same before they made their way to her car in silence.

She was about to climb in when he spoke up again.

"So I'll see you tomorrow then?"

Caroline grinned. "As if you could keep me away. It's the only place I can have iced tea now."

She drove away with the beautiful view of Klaus' sweet smile in her rear view mirror.

* * *

"Care? Care?"

Caroline faintly became aware of the fact that she was being called.

She blinked, pulling herself back to the present. She was at the Mystic Grill. Not at Klaus'.

Not with Klaus.

No, she was with… Tyler. Tyler, Damon, Elena and Stefan. They'd decided to come out together, a celebration of sorts because Silas was still safely tucked away in the Salvatore tomb.

"What were you thinking about?" Tyler asked from beside her.

The two of them were seated at a booth while Damon and Elena stood at the bar, ordering them all drinks. Stefan was at the pool table, awaiting his turn. Caroline didn't recognise the man he was playing against. Her guess was that Stefan was secretly eagerly awaiting Jeremy for a decent partner.

The Grill was about as full as you'd expect from a place that was practically the town's only source of entertainment.

She turned to her boyfriend, realising he was expecting an answer.

"Stefan. I was just thinking about Stefan," she lied, knowing full well that she'd been obsessing about a far older vampire. "Mind if I go over and talk to him for a sec?"

"Sure," Tyler agreed pleasantly.

He was in a good mood tonight. Their arguments were in the past.

He hated what she was doing with Klaus while approving at the same time.

She enjoyed what she was doing with Klaus while it messed with her head at the same time.

While what Tyler thought about it all was very low on her list of considerations, she was happy that he was happy now. No matter what, she'd always hate fighting with Tyler. It reminded her of all the other times they had fought; times that had never ended well. It reminded her of dozens of unanswered phone calls she had made at all hours of the day, sobbing.

Missing Tyler was a state she had grown used to.

"Great, I'll be back," she said, kissing him on the cheek and sliding out of the booth.

"Got a sec?" she asked Stefan once she reached him.

His punk-looking opponent sighed and placed his cue on the table. "I'll go have a drink."

Stefan smiled. "Guess I do."

"Sorry," Caroline winced. "I just wanted to come see if you're ok."

"Ok? Ok with what? Living with my brother and my ex-girlfriend, being a one hundred and sixty-three year-old guy stuck in a tiny town in Virginia, having recurring memories of drowning because my doppelgänger stuck me in a watery tomb for two months, or being the _fifth _wheel?" Stefan summarised neatly.

Caroline's heart ached. She wanted to address all of that, but who was she kidding? There really wasn't anything she could say to take his _substantial _amount of hurt away, no matter how much she wanted to. Besides, she could tell he didn't want a sob session right now. He'd said all that in the classic Stefan way of understating his problems by making light of them. She wasn't going to ruin his mood.

"Wow, your life sucks," she replied, laughing.

"For clarity's sake, I'm just going to put it out there that that last one is the most troubling."

She smiled and nudged him with her shoulder. "Don't worry, Jeremy should be here soon."

"Hmmm," he agreed, looking at the pool table to analyse the game.

Caroline bit her lip. As much as she didn't want to ruin his good mood, she did really want to make sure that he was ok.

"I _meant _are you ok with that," she said, pointing slightly at the couple at the bar. "Them."

Stefan looked up at Damon and Elena for a second, then turned to her, nodding slowly.

"Damon and I spent a lot of time together while you were at Whitmore. We did some… bonding, I guess."

"So what, you're the happy family now?" Caroline asked doubtfully.

"Getting there," Stefan replied, shooting a brief look at his brother. "Look all I know is that I feel sane for the first time since we put Silas down because of him. You and Elena went off to college and we were left behind here together and I realised something: we're brothers. We always have been. Before vampirism and before Katherine, we were brothers and we actually _liked _each other. I realised I'd missed that. And you know, we both changed a lot, did _a lot_ of things wrong, but I think we can get back to that."

"So they don't bother you?"

He glanced back at them again and sighed. "All our bonding time was mercifully Elena-_less_, so I can't say it's not different with her back. It's going to take some getting used to."

Caroline watched Damon place a kiss gently on Elena's lips and frowned.

"Ugh," she shivered. "You're really fine with _that_?"

Stefan smiled at her dramatic reaction. "Caroline, I realised that if it's anyone's fault that the two of them are together, it's least of all Damon's. He came here for Katherine, _I'm _the one whocame for Elena… and it was my obsession with her that started his. Plus I practically drove them together when I became the Ripper again. I did things to Elena that I will always regret."

Caroline's frown deepened. That didn't sound good.

"Stefan, I hope you don't blame yourself for the mess that is that relationship."

"Not completely. There were other factors involved. What I'm saying is that Damon never meant for this to happen. All he did was fall in love with her, just like I did. We aren't that different, and if I can't have Elena then the least I need is my family."

He looked at her almost pleadingly, seeming to need somebody who understood. She did. She knew Damon wasn't all that terrible and she knew that family was important. And Stefan had a point. It wasn't Elena's fault for falling in love with Damon, nor the other way around.

You couldn't help who you fell in love with.

She nodded curtly and he smiled gladly.

"But you're totally still the better Salvatore," she said, nudging him playfully again.

"Totally," Stefan grinned, winking at her.

Stefan's opponent made his way back to the table and she made to leave before turning back to Stefan.

"See you back there, ok? We need to get some food."

"Yes, ma'am," he said, mock saluting.

She shook her head in amusement and made her way back to the table. Damon and Elena had joined Tyler and as Caroline approached, Elena stood up.

"Caroline, bathroom break?"

"Sure," Caroline agreed, frowning.

She followed Elena to the bathroom, wondering what this was about. Elena was not the type of girl to ask for female accompaniment to the bathroom. Caroline remembered being eleven years old and having to explain the concept to a kid Elena who did not understand why a girl simply could not go to the bathroom for bathroom purposes alone, and without at least one other girl going along.

"What's up?" Caroline asked as soon as they had entered the tiny space.

"That's what I was wondering," Elena replied cryptically.

Caroline's frown deepened. "Okaaay. I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Tyler just told me that he's hardly seen you in the last couple of days because you've been spending so much time with Klaus. And when I asked him what he meant, he just said I should ask you about it. What's going on?"

Caroline saw now. This was an intervention. She wondered what Elena's theory was about what was going on.

If she knew her friend, she probably had none. Caroline had always used her imagination, coming up with (often somewhat crazy) reasons for things, while Elena would mostly just stand there, seemingly waiting for the explanation to fall from the sky. Unless she'd constantly been asking everybody else what they thought was going on.

Not that Caroline had minded. It had always been nice to share her ideas with someone who had none of their own, even if that person did then roll her eyes as if it were the dumbest thing she'd ever heard.

Caroline sighed. "It's no big deal, ok Elena? Klaus is just… training me," she said, mumbling the last part as she turned to the mirror.

"He's what?" asked Elena, having genuinely not heard.

Caroline cleared her throat. "He's training me," she repeated.

Elena raised an eyebrow. "_Klaus_?"

"Yeah," Caroline confirmed as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"And you're doing this, because…?" Elena asked kind of snottily.

Caroline wished she had brought her purse along so she could at least do something constructive while Elena interrogated her. Like re-apply mascara. Or fix her lipstick.

Instead she turned around to check that nobody else was in the bathroom before turning back on Elena.

"Because that freaky massacre thing and whoever did it really weirded me out, ok?" Caroline said, feeling grateful that she wasn't lying; just omitting the rest of the truth.

Elena blinked and took a step back. Caroline could swear that Elena knew how she felt.

The blonde waited for some admission that would confirm it but Elena just stood there with her arms crossed, looking vaguely spooked.

Caroline sighed. "Look, it really isn't a big deal. Tyler's ok with it. In fact it's pretty much his fault. He _asked _Klaus to look out for me. I just hammered down the details. Besides," she breathed, "I can handle Klaus," she winked as she exited the bathroom confidently.

At least she hoped it was confidently.

Because there was not a bone in her body that believed that last bit.

* * *

To clarify, though it wouldn't change anything in either relationship if he had, Klaus didn't hear any of Caroline and Mia's conversation. He just kinda showed up to find them doing what appeared to be chilling, haha.

I hope you guys approve of the way I wrote Stefan. I'm not particularly his biggest fan so I'm not 100% sure of the way I portray him and the way he speaks, but I feel pretty confident that he would be as gracious about things as he was in this chapter. You'll notice that unlike S5 of TVD where Katherine helped Stefan re-adjust and get over his PTSD, in my story it was Damon. I just love Defan, guys. And brotherly relationships in general I guess, haha.

Was the Klaroline adequate?

Haha so. Iced tea. I had been thinking about how Klaus is always drinking alcohol on the show and thought that he has to also drink something else at some point. Plus, Klaus is one thousand years old so he must have picked up all sorts of tips and recipes or whateve. So yip, I settled on amazing iced tea :)

Lyrics from _Clarity _by _Zedd_.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: A rock and a hard place**

_You see her when you close your eyes_

_Maybe one day you'll understand why_

_Everything you touch surely dies_

"You're early again," Klaus observed.

"I'm excited!"

Klaus looked amused by her. "I thought you were nervous."

"Well I need to have more than one manic emotion going at any one time," Caroline teased and he laughed. "It's my thing," she continued as he continued laughing at her.

The adorable sound calmed her nerves as they made their way from her car to their spot in the forest.

"Would you like to join me for some iced tea after?" Klaus asked after a few moments of silence.

Caroline smiled. She liked how formal and gentlemanly the invitation was.

She looked up. "Rain check? I have dinner plans with Tyler."

He nodded in muted acceptance and the eerie silence enveloped them once more, which started her nerves up again.

"Sooo, what's this gonna be like?"

"This?"

"Us," she replied, just as she realised that had been exactly what he'd wanted her to say.

It was obvious from his smirk. He revelled in it for a moment as she blushed, before answering as they reached their spot.

"You mean as opposed to you and Mia?"

She nodded.

"You've proven to be an excellent fighter, Caroline. But the only thing more important than the physical aspect of fighting is the mental. Which means," he said, slowly approaching her, "that there's going to be far more talking than grunting."

Caroline frowned, slightly confused by what he meant.

"When we're done you're going to be able to kill a vampire much older than you in head-on battle."

"How will I know when we're done?"

He smiled slyly. "You'll be able to stake me."

Caroline's eyes widened. She couldn't imagine that. She'd seen Klaus in action; had imagined him killing twelve of his hybrids in a matter of minutes. She couldn't see herself ever driving a stake through the Original Hybrid's heart.

He smiled softly, sensing her fear.

"Don't think about that now, Caroline," he suggested, stepping closer.

He breathed and now he was so close she felt his breath fan over her face.

"Close your eyes."

She obliged after a second, wondering where he was going with this.

"It's more than likely that you'll be using these skills in a life or death battle. And when faced with death, you're also faced with fear," he started.

Suddenly he pushed her against the tree behind her swiftly, his hand on her shoulder.

Her eyes popped open and her chest began to heave as she breathed shallowly, shaking violently. Klaus had no idea what was going on.

"Caroline, Caroline, are you ok? I'm sorry, love."

Her hysterics continued and he moved his hands down from the top of her body, wrapping each of her hands into one of his own.

She had just enough presence of mind to gasp at the touch.

Their lips had touched, they had linked arms and they had danced, but never had they just held hands like this.

It was strange.

"Caroline?" he whispered into her ear.

She dug her head into his shoulder, resuming her dry-sobbing.

"I'm sorry," she said as she breathed his scent in deeply.

Somehow it was helping to calm her and clear her mind.

When her body had stopped erratically moving against his own he spoke quietly, still utterly confused.

"Caroline, what's wrong?"

She swallowed. "Silas."

He frowned. It was about the last thing he had expected her to say.

"_Silas_?"

She took another two large breaths before flattening her head against his shoulder.

They were holding each other in pretty much the weirdest hug ever but she felt oddly at ease.

"After you left for New Orleans that first time, he attacked me. He… pretended to look like you. And he pushed me up against a tree just like you did just now. And… he made me think he'd killed me."

He felt her squeeze his hands tightly and he wondered if it had been voluntary.

"I've never been that scared. And then he went even further." She took another breath. "He tried to kill my mother."

If Caroline had not been lying on his chest right now, her hands gripping his tightly, he would have ripped a tree from its roots and flung it.

The anger rising in his chest was unequal to anything he had felt in a long time.

He could not believe that in the short time he had left for New Orleans she had almost been killed by both Elena and Silas, pretending to look like him.

It was not often that he became enraged by himself, but he couldn't stop it now. Not only had he not been here to protect her, but she was only telling him of this now. Perhaps she had thought he hadn't cared.

He had left after all.

And she was telling him because she must have felt so tormented.

Silas, wearing his face and killing her.

He closed his eyes tightly as he mentally cursed. He wanted to curl his hands into fists and punch through every tree in this forest. But most of all he wanted to go out and murder someone. Several someones.

He wanted to feel the insides of a human body pumping away desperately as he ripped out its most vital organ, the substance vital to _his _life oozing over his hand.

He wanted it because he had screwed up.

He had almost let Caroline slip through his fingers.

And as painful as losing her to another would be; never getting to have her all to himself to shower her with _his _affection – as painful as the thought of that was, nothing compared to the possibility of her dying.

The unique fruity smell of her hair beneath his nose brought him back to the moment at hand.

She was on his chest, holding his hands, needing him to be stable.

He had to be that for her, there was no room for the murderous monster now.

His mistake was in the past; she was still alive. His job now was to ensure that she was equipped to handle herself against anyone else. Except that required ending this moment and he hated just the notion of that.

"Caroline," he started gently and it was a good thing otherwise she might just have jumped.

She had become incredibly comfortable on his chest. He smelled good and he was warm and he was Klaus, not Silas, and all that made her feel so calm.

"Yeah?" she asked, hoping that he wouldn't make her move.

"I think we should continue with the lesson."

"Ok," she agreed, but didn't move.

She opened one eye then the other and took in her surroundings.

She was in the forest. Outside the Mikaelson mansion. On a Mikaelson's chest.

The visual jolted her, quite literally.

She jumped back, almost stumbling on the roots of the tree behind her but Klaus' hands held hers so tightly that she couldn't fall.

She loosened her grip, straightening out her hands so he could untangle his fingers from hers. He took the hint and did so, before taking a small step back.

"Oh my god I'm so embarrassed," she said, her cheeks flushing hot pink as she placed a hand over her eyes.

It was still warm from Klaus' hold on it.

"Caroline, please. Don't be." He sighed. "I shouldn't have done that. I didn't…" he gritted his teeth. It was difficult for him to say. "I didn't know. About Silas."

Caroline's blush deepened as she remembered everything Silas had said to her that day, disguised as Klaus.

Slowly she moved her hand away and looked up at his face.

He looked… guilty. Now she felt bad. She didn't want him to feel guilty; he'd had no fault in what had happened. He couldn't help it that Silas had chosen to wear his gorgeous face.

If anything, it had been her own fault. Silas must have seen in her mind how to really get to her.

She cleared her throat. "We should… we should continue with the lesson," she repeated his suggestion.

He looked unsure.

"Klaus, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have freaked out on you like that. It was just some weirdo supernatural déjà vu. Please, just," she pressed herself against the tree behind her desperately, "continue doing whatever you were doing. I'm ok, I promise."

* * *

Her eyes were closed again.

He was pushed up against her again and his hand was on her throat but it was loose enough for her to know that he wasn't a real threat to her, despite her protests that he didn't have to do that.

Though the whole situation was still kind of scary, which she guessed was the point.

"Your eyes are closed. You can't see what I'm going to do to you."

She did her best not to giggle at the unintended sexual innuendo in that.

"So what am I going to do to you?"

She realised he was waiting for an answer and wanted to roll her eyes. He'd literally just answered that for her.

"I don't know."

"You should know. You know me."

"I don't – you're going to choke me," she said, thinking once again about Silas. Hoping at least _he _had studied Klaus' method of fighting.

"Then what?" he asked as he started rubbing the fingers he held on her neck in small circles.

She gasped. He really wasn't making this easier on her. He _had _to know the effect he was having on her, right?

"Um… you throw me down."

There was a pause during which she hoped he was smiling in agreement.

"_Why_?" he asked threateningly in her ear.

She began to imagine the scene in her mind. Her fighting Klaus. He pushed her up against the tree, choking her before he swung her around him and dumped her on the ground.

"To stake me," she replied calmly, feeling like she was getting the hang of this.

"How?"

She watched in her mind's eye as he bent over her, pushing his hand into her stomach to hold her down as he leaned low to taunt her.

"You grab a branch and bend over me, holding it over my heart as you talk. Probably gloating."

Klaus smiled. She knew him well. So far she had gotten his every move right.

"Why can I get a branch before you're able to escape?"

She breathed shallowly as she admitted the obvious. "You're faster than me."

"Good," Klaus said, as his hand loosened then moved away from her neck.

She tensed as both his hands moved slowly down her body until they slipped off onto the tree and came to a standstill beside her hips.

"Now, what can you do to stop it? What's the first problem?"

She thought back to her assessment. His hand on her neck, choking her.

"You're stronger than me. I can't do anything about you choking me. But I can't die that way."

"So what do you do?"

Her mind raced. His next step was to fling her behind himself as he ran for a branch. She couldn't escape before he made it back with one. But she could make it more difficult for him to pin her down.

"I jump back up after you throw me down."

"Why? You don't have time to escape."

"But I can fight. Better than I could lying down."

"Good. But how will you fight me? I'm stronger, faster and I want to kill you."

"I exploit your weaknesses. And I want to stay alive."

There was a pause. "Open your eyes, Caroline," he said, taking a few steps back.

She did as she was told, opening her eyes to see him looking at her somewhat slyly but proudly.

"I'm impressed, love. But there's only one problem."

"And what's that?" she asked cockily.

"You don't know my weaknesses," he said cunningly, before rushing at her.

* * *

Caroline picked through the obligatory side salad that restaurants always felt the need to add to your meal. Like, yeah you ordered a huge hunk of burger with a massive portion of fries, but we'll throw in this tiny salad just to make you feel better about yourself.

"So how's your thing with Klaus going?" Tyler asked.

Caroline looked up. Tyler was having none of the same appetite problems it seemed; he was digging into his burger hungrily.

They had said little more than pleasantries to each other since he'd picked her up and driven her to the Grill. Now here they were and she found that she still had little to say to him. Really it had been a gruelling day and all she wanted to do was take a long shower and crawl into bed.

The lack of conversation between them thus far into their date night hadn't been Tyler's fault; the poor guy had been doing his best. But while her fighting with Mia had left her sore and her energy temporarily depleted, her session with Klaus made her feel emotionally drained.

Tyler would ask her something and she would reply with the shortest possible answer in order to go back to relaxing her mind. Or he would ask her something and she would just completely zone out and forget to answer.

Like now.

Mentally cursing, she brought herself back to the present to consider his question.

Though Tyler didn't seem to know it, Klaus was still a sore topic between the two of them for Caroline. Tyler's weird vengeful take on what she was doing with Klaus disturbed her. She wasn't sure why, but she felt like he was expecting something from her. Something that had not been a part of their deal. Something he would expect to come naturally from her.

"I don't want to talk about Klaus."

The short reply, then. Oh, well. At least this one had been sincere and thought-through.

"Okaaay," Tyler said, clearly at a loss about what to do. "You ok, Care?"

She rubbed an eye with her palm. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired."

She grinned in an effort to comfort him before picking up a fry and shoving it into her mouth. She already knew she was going to end up taking the bulk of this meal home.

Tyler was eating his fries as well, now seeming incredibly put out. She felt bad. She'd been worrying all week about why he didn't seem to have any urge to spend quality time with her. Then he'd arranged this date night and now she was being as unsociable as possible. If he hadn't been avoiding her before, he sure would after this.

She wracked her brain for a topic to bring up.

"So what exactly have you been doing every day?" she asked lightly, trying to inject as much artificial interest into her tone as possible.

"What?" he asked, almost seeming to choke.

She frowned as he reached over to take a gulp of his beer. She didn't really think it was that difficult of a question to answer. But now he'd made her genuinely curious.

"What do you do all day now that you're back home?" she repeated.

"This and that," he mumbled vaguely, his head down as he continued to eat.

She scowled at him in confusion. "Why are you acting so suspicious?"

"Why are you _being _so suspicious?" he shot back, looking up to stare right back at her.

They stared each other down for a few seconds before they both burst out laughing.

She finished laughing and was just wondering how many more fries she had to eat to qualify this event as a dinner, when Tyler spoke up again.

"Is that what Klaus is teaching you? To be paranoid?" he asked lightly.

She sighed. It was clear that Tyler wasn't going to let this go, no matter how subtle he was trying to be about it. He was clearly very interested about her lessons with Klaus.

"So much for not talking about Klaus," she muttered.

There was no reaction from him. If they had been human she could have pretended that he hadn't heard, but now she just had to settle with the knowledge that he'd ignored her.

Obviously all he cared about was finding out about her time with the Original.

She sighed again before picking up another fry and halfheartedly nibbling on it. She could tell Tyler was waiting for her to address the elephant in the room.

She knew she should tell him about Mia and that Klaus was training her himself now and that she was enjoying predicting the hybrid's fighting tactics, and maybe even that she had freaked out on Klaus today with a little PTSD.

But something held her back.

"No. He's teaching me how to protect myself. Like I asked," she replied pretty coldly.

She watched her boyfriend from the corner of her eye as she stared back down at her plate. She saw his shoulders heave as he took a frustrated breath. Then she heard him rub his hands together over his plate.

"Look, you ready to get out of here?"

She did her best not to leap out of her seat at the suggestion.

* * *

"I'd come in but you said you were tired."

Caroline offered him a small smile. "Thanks Tyler."

He placed a kiss on her forehead before pulling away and returning her smile.

"Night, Care."

He stepped away and was about to leave when he turned back, seemingly remembering something.

"I love you."

She grinned. "I love you too."

* * *

Caroline lay on her stomach on her bed, scrolling through the pictures on her phone when there was a knock at the door.

Frowning, Caroline stood up, wondering whether Tyler had changed his mind. She had a feeling that she'd send him away anyway.

At college she'd felt homesick and now she felt she missed Whitmore. Or at least that's how she had felt going through the pictures she had taken of herself and Elena in their new dorm room, new friends she'd made, parties she'd gone to.

Life was always so complicated in Mystic Falls. And there was a part deep within her that knew that she was scared. When she was gone she missed the excitement, but here she just felt… scared.

She smirked as she spotted the visitor through the glass pane.

Klaus.

She smoothed down her pajamas before swinging the door open.

"Seriously?" she said lightly.

"Caroline," he smiled at her as if he hadn't expected to see her, as if she didn't live here, as if he hadn't seen her just hours before.

"Tyler could've been here, you know."

Klaus smirked now too. "I knew he wasn't."

Caroline stared at him for a second.

"Right. Your vampire spies."

He bit his lip, seeming to suppress a smile and Caroline shook her head, inexplicably amused as well.

"What are you doing here, anyway?" she asked.

"Attempting to stave off boredom." He smiled charmingly. "May I come inside?"

With hardly any hesitation, Caroline stepped aside, a smile pasted on her face.

Klaus was pleased. It was difficult to imagine that only a few days ago Caroline had thrown him out of her home twice in the same amount of days.

And now here she was, voluntarily letting him in.

"Is Elijah out or something?"

"There is a limit to the amount of time that any sane man can consecutively spend with a sibling," Klaus replied snarkily.

"Well what about an _unstable_ Original hybrid?"

He turned around to grin at her.

"Depends on whether that time has to be spent while the sibling is daggered or not."

Caroline rolled her eyes but laughed in spite of herself as she led Klaus to her lounge.

He sat down on the three-seater.

"Can I get you anything to drink?" she offered politely.

"A-positive if you have, love."

Caroline shook her head smiling again as Klaus grinned up at her, both of them knowing that that hadn't been what she'd meant.

"Coming right up," she said before disappearing.

Klaus took a deep breath. He hadn't meant to be impolite, but he _was _craving blood.

He'd planned to have a snack on the way to Caroline's but had ended up deeming the detour too time-consuming. Finding someone, draining and burying them would all take up far too much time which he could be spending with a certain stunning blonde.

Caroline entered the room again carrying a tumbler containing a thick red substance.

"Enjoy," she said, passing it.

"Thank you."

Feeling the temperature of the glass, he set it down on the coffee table as he watched Caroline cross to the two-seater sofa.

She wiped her hands on her sleep shorts as if nervous. She seemed to want to say something but couldn't work up the nerve to say it.

"How was dinner?" he asked, hoping to put her at ease.

She ran a hand through her hair, wincing slightly.

"I was the worst company in the world."

He frowned in question and she rushed to explain.

"I just felt so tired. And Tyler's interrogation did _not_ help."

Klaus' frown deepened. "Interrogation?"

Oops.

Caroline considered. For some reason she just felt it was better that Tyler didn't know exactly what Klaus was teaching her. But what about the other way around? Was it safe for Klaus to know what Tyler was thinking?

She was frozen in hesitation. She trusted Klaus and knew he wouldn't hurt her. Whether that extended to her friends too was murky, but Tyler… her boyfriend was a whole different matter. She got the feeling that Klaus would not be slow to slaying if he found out the hybrid was once again planning some sort of move against him.

She supposed it was only fair to tell both men the same thing: the bare minimum.

"Yeah, he wanted to know what exactly it is that we do."

Klaus smirked but said nothing, obviously taking it in the way she thought he would. It got her back to wondering why 'jealous boyfriend' had in actual fact not been even one of the vibes she had gotten from Tyler while he was asking her all those questions.

Still. She didn't want Klaus to delve any deeper, so she might as well say what she'd wanted to as soon as he'd walked into her house.

Caroline cleared her throat. "I'm actually glad you came by."

Klaus frowned. She didn't sound very glad.

"And why is that?"

She sighed. "I wanted to apologise for freaking out on you earlier. That was _so_ not cool."

Klaus smiled softly. "Sweetheart, you don't have to apologise."

"Uh yeah, I do. I _freaked out _in front of you of all peoplebecause of some fake staking by a fake wizard faking your face."

Just saying the words made Caroline feel cowardice enough to bury her face in her hands.

Klaus was frowning deeply but he just stared at Caroline in silence until she looked back up.

"I genuinely see no reason for an apology. I understand the concept of a traumatic experience, Caroline. I experienced years of ghosts tempting me to kill myself, remember? I'm more than certain that that left some sort of mental scar."

Caroline looked up with wide eyes, then shook her head. It wasn't the same.

"You're trying to teach me how to be fearless and unbeatable and I start hyperventilating on you? _Not _one of my finest moments."

He held her eyes with his, wanting to be sure that she would absorb every word that he was about to say.

"Caroline, I do want you to be fearless and unbeatable. But I would never dream of altering that strength, that light… that beauty. It's within you. It's _you_. And if you were scared then that's important to me."

His words made her feel lightheaded as his eyes drew her in from the sofa opposite her. It was almost impossible, but Caroline managed to tear her eyes away, dragging her gaze to the carpeted floor.

How did he always manage to say the right thing?

"There's something I never said to you," she realised suddenly.

Klaus frowned. "What's that?"

She looked back up at him. "Thank you. For helping Elena with that whole Hunter's Curse thing. Or at least for trying to, before we royally screwed up your plans."

Klaus smiled and shook his head at the memory. He retrieved his glass from the table and held it in his hand, hoping to warm it faster.

Caroline watched as he took one long index finger and dragged it around the rim of the glass, a slow steady rhythm that never relented. She felt hypnotised by the action, absently wondering what it would feel like to have his finger on her instead of the glass. She remembered the torment of the sensual circles Klaus had rubbed into her neck that afternoon, slow and insanely tempting.

"Something bothers me," he said suddenly in a pained voice.

The sharpness of the statement was involuntary, surprising even him. In truth he had been mulling it over since the second she'd said it.

"What?"

"What you said. That you freaked out in front of me – _of all people_."

Caroline sat back in surprise as he repeated her words to her.

_Why did she always have to speak before thinking?_

"I…"

But she didn't know what to say.

"You don't trust me?" he asked, seeming a little hurt.

Caroline sighed. "It's not that. I trust you Klaus, I really do."

He looked back at her uncertainly.

"It's just that… I don't know. It's weird. I don't know what we are."

Klaus frowned and she rushed on.

"I mean you came here as the villain and most of my friends still think of you that way. And then _we _became friends. And then…" she trailed off, not wanting to say it.

_We made out on your roof, you let my boyfriend come back to town then left without saying goodbye and now you're teaching me how to be a better vampire._

"Now it's just all just a bit confusing," she finished.

"What happened to 'friends'?" he asked with a small smile.

"I think we crossed that bridge a while ago," she replied softly, trying to hold back a blush.

He nodded slowly before looking down into his glass pensively. Then she watched as he downed the entire contents of blood in one gulp, before licking his lips.

Caroline felt shaky and uncertain. Had she offended him? Because that would be just great. Yet another confusing twist in their relationship.

He stood up. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow, Caroline. When I'll be your mentor," he clarified almost mockingly, with a small smile on his face.

She grinned. "And maker of fine beverages."

He laughed and shook his head, acutely aware of the fact that she had just made plans with him for after their lesson.

"Good night, Caroline."

* * *

So I know the training session started off really weirdly but there are so many things that happen in Caroline's life that just get neglected on TVD and I hate it. Remember when she killed those 12 witches and was traumatised for all of 5 seconds? Or being tortured by her father, or the million times Tyler left her? The show is so busy focusing on the minute details on Elena's life that it kind of just skips over aspects of Caroline's and so those are things I really want to address in my story. The whole thing with Silas attacking her in the woods as Klaus was one of those. I just thought it was something that would freak anybody out monumentally. So the moment was not one of weakness, but rather PTSD, something Elena gets plenty of scenes to depict all the time.

Chapters 3 and 4 were one day and Chapter 6 was two days. This chapter begins the format I'll be using for the rest of the story, which is a chapter a day. As Rebekah stated in the first chapter, Caroline has three weeks of holiday so this story has a bit of a countdown on it as Whitmore awaits the blonde ;)

Lyrics are from _Let Her Go _which is originally by _Passenger _but I kinda hate the sound of it so I listen to a version by a _The Voice _contestant, _Cole Vosbury. _The song is so canon Klaus and Caroline that it makes me sad sometimes, sigh.


	8. Chapter 8

You'll notice that I devote far more time to Liz than TVD does and also that she's slightly more spunky than she sometimes is in the show. The former is because this is Caroline's story so of course her mom's going to feature more and the latter is because it just makes sense to me that the woman who raised someone as awesome as Caroline would have less of a wooden personality than she's sometimes represented as having on the show.

* * *

**Chapter 8: Change**

_And I can't help but stare because_

_I see truth somewhere in your eyes_

_I can't ever change without you_

_You reflect me, I love that about you_

"Bye, Mom!" Caroline called from the doorway as her mother climbed into her car.

Sheriff Forbes shook her head in amusement. Her daughter had greeted her about thrice this morning and was now resorting to making sure the entire neighbourhood knew Liz was off to work.

Liz smiled as she started up her car. Caroline really was an exceptional young lady, and when she was in a good mood, she was in a _good _mood. Liz wasn't sure exactly what had put her daughter in that good mood, but Liz had woken this morning to the smell of fresh coffee and baking cookies.

It was over the two delicacies that Caroline had discussed her dinner plans with her mother.

Liz shook her head again as she pulled out of the driveway. If there was one other thing she knew about her daughter, it was that nothing could kill her party-planning mood.

She was about to drive off when she noticed Tyler approaching the walkway. She smiled and waved at him before laughing.

Caroline was his ball of manic excitement now.

"Tyler!" Caroline screamed, practically jumping up and down. "I'm so glad you're here!"

"You seem happy to see me," Tyler said in amusement, planting a kiss on her lips. "You get a good night's sleep?"

"Yip. I feel _much_ better now," she said, leading him into the house.

Tyler sniffed the air. "Do I smell cookies?"

Caroline nodded proudly. "Double choc-chip with chocolate ganache icing."

He grinned. "Guess it's never too early for diabetes."

Rolling her eyes, she shoved one perfectly shaped and iced cookie into his hand before turning to pour him a mug of coffee. She would use the same technique on him that she'd used on her mother.

He was onto her immediately.

"Diamonds or pearls?" he asked jokingly.

"Shut up!" she replied playfully as she passed him his coffee. "I just want to talk."

"Cookies and coffee are always a good place to start," he teased.

She glared. "I baked because I'm happy. Now you'd better listen if you want more."

He grinned and made the zipping action over his mouth. He bit into his cookie as she began speaking.

"I wanted to talk about Christmas dinner. I'm going to cook!" she said, clapping excitedly.

Tyler's face fell as soon as she said the word 'Christmas'. He slowly finished chewing his bite, then set the cookie down.

"About that. I wanted to talk to you too."

Caroline frowned. She thought Tyler would like the idea of her cooking.

"Well do you have something else in mind?" she asked, folding her arms.

He looked down at the counter and she began to feel panicked that he couldn't maintain eye contact with her.

"Not exactly. Listen, Care, I have to go somewhere this weekend."

Caroline's eyes widened. "Wait a minute… you're not gonna be here for _Christmas_?"

"Sorry, babe. It's important."

Caroline stepped back to glare at him with full force. "Seriously?"

She couldn't believe he was doing his to her right now.

First she'd had to deal with her boyfriend not coming to college with her for little more reason than that he wasn't ready. This _after _she'd scouted and arranged for him to have the perfect dorm for him that was a perfect distance away from hers.

Then she'd had to deal with the whole semester desperately keeping her thoughts off all the hot new guys because she was in a relationship even though it sure _felt _like she was single because she hardly ever got to speak to her boyfriend who was who-knew-where.

Last night he'd dodged her questions about how he spent his time here when he wasn't with her, and she still didn't understand why he'd been so prickly about it.

But now he was also leaving, foregoing her first Christmas dinner to go who-knew-where once again?

"You are _not _doing this to me right now."

Tyler sighed labouredly. "Care, what I have to do is important and – "

"Oh, it's important, is it? More important than your girlfriend at Christmas? I wonder what could be that important." She paused for dramatic effect. "No really, Tyler, that wasn't rhetorical. What exactly is this important?"

He rubbed a hand over his face. "Could we not do this?"

Caroline was about ready to explode. Why was he pretending like she was overreacting? She was so sick of being in a relationship with so many secrets and things she didn't know.

She placed her palms on the granite counter, allowing the coolness to calm her down a bit.

"Ok, Tyler," she said, her voice dangerously low and dripping with sarcasm. "Let's _not_ talk about where you prefer to be and what you prefer to be doing instead of having a homemade Christmas dinner with your girlfriend and her family."

"Yeah, family," Tyler muttered bitterly.

Caroline frowned, taking another step back.

"Care, the truth is I can't be here. My mom, she loved Christmas. I hated the parties and the donations and the decorations, but she loved it. All of it. And right now I can't spend it in the same town with the monster who murdered her in cold blood."

He looked up at her pleadingly as she inhaled sharply.

"Do you get that?"

Caroline blinked rapidly, trying to stave off the tears. She reached her hands over the counter to clasp his within hers.

"Tyler, of course. I should've realised." She sighed. "I'm so sorry."

He looked from her hands up to her face, his eyes burning with uncontrolled anger.

"Don't be. It's not your fault. It's _his_."

* * *

"How would Damon attack you?"

Caroline opened her eyes.

"Damon? Really?"

Klaus looked back at her bewilderedly as if he didn't see the problem. She returned the stare.

"I thought I'm supposed to be learning to defend myself from the bad guys? How's it going to help me to know how to fight all my friends?" she asked, folding her arms.

Klaus smirked. "Caroline, I think you'll find that your so-called 'friends' have tried to kill you quite a few times already."

Caroline frowned and considered. Damon had tried to kill her right after she'd turned. He probably would have tried to kill her when they had fought about him attacking her dad. Elena had almost killed her twice when she'd had her humanity off.

Klaus had a point.

Caroline refused to say it, but Klaus read the realisation from her face and knew he had won.

"Besides, we will eventually get to defending yourself from an unknown attacker. And then," he said looking up at her from beneath his lashes slyly, "we'll move on to attacking."

Caroline opened her mouth to protest but promptly closed it, remembering her deal with the hybrid.

_My condition is that you do everything I tell you to._

In hindsight, probably not the smartest deal in the world to make.

She shrugged, deciding to answer his original question instead of indulging what was obviously his desire for her to react dramatically to his statement.

"I've fought Damon already, I know."

To her surprise, Klaus began to shake his head vehemently.

"A single fight is never a good enough indication. Particularly for vampires. We're feral. We change our minds. We go for the easiest attack. Or the smartest. Or the one that will most quickly satisfy our bloodlust. Never take a few fights with someone as a set standard."

She felt like Klaus was trying to tell her something.

One thousand years. One thousand years of fighting and killing off enemies and maybe even allies.

It didn't matter if she helped Tyler or not. Her intel would mean nothing.

Klaus couldn't be predicted.

The thought brought her a certain thrill.

"So what exactly are you trying to teach me then?" she retorted.

He smirked. "Moods change. People do not."

"Don't they?" Caroline interrupted, a brow raised.

His baby blues bore into her own and for a moment she felt lost not only in them, but in her own words.

Did people change?

Did one thousand year old hybrids change?

_Anybody capable of love is capable of being saved._

Her eyes flitted down to his lips and her words from the previous night ran through her mind.

What _were _they to each other?

What was happening here?

What were these moments?

He blinked first, looking away. She in turn adjusted her gaze to a spot above his shoulder, concentrating on her breathing.

Eventually he turned back to her and she immediately knew that he was going to be ignoring her question.

"As I was saying, knowing your opponent can be important. More important is predicting their movements based on the particular fight you're engaged in, which we worked on yesterday. Today we'll be combining the two."

Caroline sighed. This was all so complicated. Then again she guessed that she hadn't been expecting any of this to be easy.

Besides, she was Caroline Forbes, she didn't do anything halfway.

So when Klaus asked her the second time, all Caroline Forbes did was grin massively.

"How would Damon attack you?"

* * *

Caroline rubbed her arm where a bruise was already beginning to fade.

Vampire-speed healing sure was convenient when you had a boyfriend who would freak if he saw any evidence of a harsh fight.

Caroline looked up at Klaus calmly pouring her a glass of iced tea and it was difficult to reconcile him with the man who had given her these bruises.

_You know I'd never hurt you._

Caroline smirked. She sometimes thought that Klaus meant those words very selectively. She had gotten plenty hurt today. Even pretending to be Damon, Klaus had not let up on her for an instant.

She took the glass he offered and stared into the amber liquid, encircling the rim of the glass with a finger.

Klaus took a spot beside her and looked at her curiously. She had not said anything for a while now.

While her nonstop conversation hardly usually contained the entire content of her thoughts, he still found himself obsessing about what she was thinking about when she was silent like this.

"What's on your mind, sweetheart?"

She turned to him in surprise. "Hmm? Oh. Um, nothing much. Just thinking about Christmas."

He nodded. His brother had reminded him the other morning of the rapidly approaching religious holiday. He hadn't realised Caroline celebrated it though.

"You enjoy Christmas?"

"I mean I'm not Christian or anything but I love Christmas, yeah. It's so pretty and… happy."

He smiled. "Do you follow some sort of tradition?"

"We used to have lunch with Elena's family, but I've decided to change things up a bit this year. I'm going to cook Christmas dinner!" she finished excitedly and he couldn't help shaking his head in amusement.

"Ambitious," he commented lightly.

Caroline's eyebrow skyrocketed daringly.

"Would you expect anything less from Caroline Forbes?"

Klaus did his best to hide a grin and failed miserably.

"No. Of course not."

Satisfied with this reply, Caroline turned back to her glass to take a sip.

The flavours were as amazing as the first time she'd tried it and after the workout she'd just endured, its refreshing qualities were received with even more appreciation.

Staring into the glass, she thought of Tyler again. Even though she fully understood his reasoning, it still felt wrong of him to ditch her at Christmas.

And speaking of Christmas, she had an incredibly long shopping list in her pocket that she had to begin putting a dent in. Hopefully Klaus would understand if she gulped down the rest of her drink so she could make it to the shops on time.

Wait – Klaus.

Caroline looked at Klaus, frowning. "What are _you_ doing for Christmas?"

"Probably engaging in whatever fine dining experience the Mystic Grill has to offer," Klaus lamented.

"Come on, you're kidding."

"Well, my brother _has_ invited me to dinner with him and Katerina, but _that_ is an experience I'd much rather miss."

Caroline nodded in understanding. Being the third wheel was never fun, no matter who you were.

"Come have dinner at my house then."

"What?" Klaus asked in surprise, looking up.

"Come have dinner at my house," Caroline repeated.

"No offense sweetheart, but that doesn't sound any less awkward."

"Tyler won't be there," she added as diplomatically as possible.

"Why not?" Klaus asked, seeming worried.

Caroline shrugged and sighed. "I don't know, he's going… somewhere," she said, then sighed again.

Klaus cocked his head, smirking at her with his eyebrow raised.

Caroline rolled her eyes at his obvious judgement.

"Shut up, OK! I'm inviting you to Christmas dinner, not to criticising my relationship."

"Could I come to Christmas dinner and criticise your relationship?"

Caroline glared at him and he grinned, standing up.

"That's very kind of you, Caroline, but I wouldn't want to impose."

Caroline rolled her eyes again as she too stood. "If it were an imposition I wouldn't be inviting you, now would I?"

He slowly approached her, looking silently pleased. "Very well then, Caroline. I accept."

Caroline grinned now, extra excited. "Awesome! It's gonna be so much fun!" she said, already mentally planning the entire evening.

Place names seemed a bit drastic considering they would only be three people, but she could definitely put out the silver and black tablecloth with their best china.

Her mind jumped over to her turkey recipe. It was pretty straightforward but she wanted to make a small change to the stuffing to –

Caroline realised with a jolt that she had zoned out and Klaus was staring intently at her. She shook her head to bring herself back to the present and Klaus smiled.

"So you'll be cooking the entire dinner?"

"Yes," she said slowly, suspicious. "Why, do you doubt my ability in the kitchen?"

"No, I was simply wondering if you could use any help."

She thought he was joking for a second but he seemed sincere. "_You _can cook?"

"You doubt my ability in the kitchen?" he imitated her, smirking.

She rolled her eyes. "I thought your specialty was drinks."

"Then I'll do drinks too. How do you feel about egg nog?"

She smiled gently. "My mother loves egg nog."

Klaus smiled too. "What do _you_ love?"

Caroline considered for a moment then grinned sneakily. "Iced tea."

Klaus laughed, before their eyes connected again, his silently waiting for her approval.

She relented. "Fine. You can do desert. Do _not _mess it up."

"Wouldn't dream of it," he said solemnly as if she had given him a military order.

Which she kind of had. Any organisational order from Caroline might as well have been a military one.

She might have been planning a small dinner party for three, but it was going to be the best damn Christmas dinner for three in the whole town.

Satisfied with their plans, she turned to leave, knowing she had a lot to get done.

Klaus cleared his throat loudly and Caroline spun around to see what he wanted now. She hated when people interrupted her rather OCD-method of organising.

"Do you need any help with the grocery shopping?"

Caroline hesitated. It was a really thoughtful offer but she didn't like any distractions when she was grocery shopping. And Klaus _definitely _counted as a distraction.

"You mean you actually know your way around a store?" she joked, knowing that the Mikaelsons had their own chef and thus almost definitely did not do their own shopping.

"I'm sure I could handle it," he smirked.

She hesitated for a second longer, then pulled her list from inside her pocket and tore it in half.

"OK. You go there, I'll go here. If you need anything for the dessert from where I'm going, you can text me."

"Yes, ma'am," he said in mock salutation.

She rolled her eyes before spinning around quickly again, not wanting him to see how pleased she was with his help.

She wasn't used to this.

A guy who was not only _present _but also wasn't afraid to help out as much as possible.

Who encouraged instead of laughed off her perfectionist ways.

She could get used to it, though.

* * *

Elena's light ankle boots made their way up Caroline's walkway and before her best friend had even had the opportunity to knock, Caroline called out an invitation for her to come inside.

Which is why Elena entered the Forbes household smoothly only to be faced with her busy friend in the kitchen.

Or, more accurately, her busy friend's butt.

Caroline's head was stuck inside a large cupboard, evidently desperately searching for something.

"Hey, Care. What are you up to?"

"Oh, you know. Finding linen, the usual."

This was followed by a triumphant "Aha!" before Caroline emerged from the cupboard, several items of linen in hand.

"Okaaay," Elena smirked, amused.

Caroline dumped the linen on the kitchen counter before turning to Elena, grinning.

"Why does it feel like I haven't seen you in forever?" she asked her friend, pulling her in for a hug.

Elena returned the hug then shrugged.

"It hasn't been that long. Besides, you've been busy," Elena said, and Caroline immediately knew that she was fishing for some kind of information.

But she'd made the decision not to discuss her time with Klaus with anyone. Especially not when prompted, as everybody seemed to be doing.

"Yeah," she replied simply.

She moved back to the linen under the pretence of counting the place settings. She only needed three.

"What's with the linen?" Elena asked, sensing the awkward moment and doing her part to dispel it.

"It's for Christmas dinner. I'm cooking," Caroline grinned.

They hadn't spoken about it but it had been clear that the annual Gilbert Christmas lunch had been cancelled. Caroline had assumed that Elena wouldn't even want to broach the topic and she'd been right. Elena felt relieved not to have to have that conversation. Only two Gilberts, both homeless and neither of whom who could cook, definitely didn't qualify as great Christmas lunch hosts.

"You're going to cook a whole Christmas meal?" Elena asked doubtfully.

Her friend wasn't a terrible cook but she'd never been any Nigella either. She knew that Caroline had always partaken in more extracurricular activities than was probably healthy for any one person, but she also doubted that learning how to cook an entire Christmas meal had been one of them.

"Yip. I got _so _many recipes off the internet!" Caroline announced happily.

Elena shook her head at her friend's enthusiasm. It was nice to know that some things hadn't changed.

"Hey, do you wanna come?" Caroline invited automatically.

Elena shook her head. "That's actually why I'm here. Damon's taking us out of town for Christmas."

"_Us_?"

"Me, Stefan and Jeremy."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm not sure. He just thought we could all use a change of scenery for Christmas."

Caroline could understand why that would appeal to Elena. She'd lost possibly the most out of any of them in this crazy little town.

"That's… sensitive of him," Caroline choked out.

She turned to the fridge and began piling things out. She wanted to get a jumpstart on the cooking, meaning she was going to pre-make as much as she possibly could before the actual day.

Elena knew all her friend's avoidance techniques though.

She sighed. "What?"

"Nothing," Caroline replied.

Elena waited, arms folded, until Caroline had closed the fridge.

As expected, the blonde turned towards her, taking a deep breath as she prepared to say what she had on her mind.

"Do you really think that's a good idea?"

Elena sighed again. "You mean for Stefan?"

Caroline gave Elena a look before turning back to her ingredients. She pulled open a cupboard to retrieve the relevant recipes.

"What's better – leaving him here all alone?"

"I'm not saying you should leave him. I'm saying going somewhere with your boyfriend and his brother, who is also your ex-boyfriend, is not the best idea in the world."

"As opposed to living with them, the way I am now?" Elena asked, annoyed.

She hated that Caroline always made her feel insensitive. She knew it was a difficult situation and she always tried to handle it the best she could.

Caroline stopped measuring out ingredients to glare at her friend.

"It's not the same thing, Elena. You know that. And I'm just not sure Stefan can deal with it right now."

Elena set her jaw. "Caroline, I know you care about Stefan. But so do I. We're kind of one weird family and since we're vampires we may as well start getting used to it."

The words hurt Caroline. She still held out hope that Elena would come to her senses one day and go back to the more sensible Salvatore.

"And when me and Stefan were together _Damon_ had to deal with it. I'm sure Stefan can too."

Caroline sighed in defeat. It was clear that there was no persuading Elena away from this decision. And trying to persuade Stefan would only result in him vehemently stating that he would be fine.

Turning on the gas, she began adding things into a pan before she met Elena's eyes again, pleading.

"Just take care of him, ok?"

Elena smiled genuinely. "Of course I will. And you tell me how your meal turns out. And whether Tyler liked it," Elena winked.

She'd intended to lighten the mood which was why she was at a total loss as to why Caroline broke their eye contact and began chopping up limes like they'd personally offended her.

"Care? Is everything ok with you and Tyler?" Elena frowned. "I just saw him at the Grill, he seemed fine."

"You saw him at the Grill? Well at least that means one of us knew where he was."

Elena frowned. "What's that supposed to mean? Are you two ok?"

Caroline sighed, flinging her chef's knife down onto the counter.

"I am not even sure anymore."

"You guys seemed fine the other night."

"Yeah," Caroline agreed bitterly.

"Is this about Klaus?"

Caroline frowned, turning back to the stove. "No. Why would you even think that?"

Elena shrugged. "I guess I just can't imagine Tyler being ok with you voluntarily spending time with the person who killed his mother."

Her back to Elena, Caroline's nails sunk into a dishcloth, clenching.

She hated how her friend could make her sound so traitorous.

She hated that it struck a chord within her.

"Tyler's skipping town for Christmas," Caroline explained, ignoring Elena's comment.

"Oh," she replied. "Where's he going?"

"You got me." Caroline turned around, seconds away from tears. "But he sure doesn't want to be here… with me."

Elena sighed in understanding. "His mom."

Caroline nodded, holding out her arms. "I don't know what to do, Elena. I mean, on the one hand, I get it. But on the other, I just really wanna be there for him, you know? And he's making that impossible."

Elena looked down, unable to solve her friend's dilemma.

"I always feel like I should say something to him but I don't know what. You'd think I would, considering I know exactly what he's going through."

Caroline felt a lump settle in her stomach as her mind switched to the offensive and for a second she wasn't sure why.

Then she realised.

Elena's 'I' had been incredibly exclusionary.

"We've all lost people, Elena," Caroline reminded the brunette.

"Not to Klaus," Elena responded steadily.

The thought of tears long forgotten, Caroline's eyes burned into Elena's.

"Does it matter?"

The intensity of her gaze made Elena step back and for a second Caroline swore she'd seen a glimpse of fear on her friend's face.

"I didn't mean to offend you, Care."

Caroline nodded and busied herself again.

A few minutes passed in silence before Elena began speaking again.

"Are you gonna be ok?"

"We've all lost people, Elena," Caroline repeated.

It was true. She couldn't act like she was going to have some kind of breakdown on Christmas day when they'd all lost so many loved ones in this town. If she broke down, they all would.

Elena sighed. "You know, Jeremy lives with me but I still miss her so much. I can't imagine what it must be like for you."

Bonnie.

Elena was talking about Bonnie and Caroline wasn't sure that she could handle that right now.

But she continued.

"I miss seeing her and hugging her and really _talking _to her without a go-between. I miss her voice and her smile and the way she kinda just fixed everything," Elena finished.

Caroline looked up for the first time in a while to see her friend, tears building up in her eyes.

Caroline wasn't in a much better state. She approached Elena and lay her head on her shoulder.

Elena reciprocated and they softly sobbed on each other, both thinking of the friend who was around but that they could no longer see or spend time with.

No day in Mystic Falls was easy, but Christmas seemed to be ten times more difficult.

And yet they'd come back.

Several times she'd found herself wondering why they had. The memories hurt so much.

"You know, she's probably totally laughing at us right now," Caroline said eventually when she pulled away from Elena.

They both laughed as they wiped away the traces of their tears.

"She's probably totally laughing at how you're gonna have to do all those dishes," Elena laughed, gesturing towards the small pile that had already begun accumulating as Caroline had worked.

"You think the Bennetts have a dish-cleaning spell?" Caroline asked, only half joking.

Elena shook her head in amusement. "You're lucky I have nowhere else to be," she said, beginning to run hot water into the sink.

Caroline grinned. Elena was immediately back in her good books. Anyone who did the dishes for her was.

"Well you do owe me."

Elena glanced back at the blonde in shock. "For what?"

"Hello! You're skipping my first-ever Christmas dinner!"

They both burst out laughing and Caroline turned back to the two dishes she was preparing while Elena got back to washing the dishes.

Caroline felt real joy at being able to spend this time with her best friend.

And then there was the bubbling excitement in her stomach about what tomorrow would be like.

* * *

I felt it necessary to address the whole Bonnie thing a bit more so I hope you guys were ok with that. Also I hope you guys aren't too annoyed with Elena's issues. As much as I don't want to focus on it, I know that it would be something Caroline would want to know about so I try and address it every now and then.

Is Klaus the sweetest or is Klaus the sweetest?

So the next chapter is Christmas! Fun fact about the next chapter: it was not supposed to happen and I was utterly against it happening at first. I'm not American so when I was doing research about American school holidays and found out that the one in this story would include Christmas I was like Ahhh crap nonononono. I just did not know what to do with these characters on Christmas or how they would usually spend it. So I toyed with just ignoring time logic _a la _TVD, but then it all became clear to me. And it ended up being one of my favourite chapters!

Lyrics from _Mirrors _by _Justin Timberlake_.


	9. Chapter 9

Slightly longer than usual (and by that I mean 2 000 words more) but I couldn't help myself. Christmas + Klaroline: I am not responsible for what happens. Well, I kinda am but you get my meaning.

Enjoyyyy :)

* * *

**Chapter 9: Dashing through the snow**

_High enough for you to make me wonder_

_Where it's going_

_High enough for you to pull me under_

_Something's growing_

_out of this that we can't control_

Caroline covered the bowl containing the leg of lamb in plastic wrap and set it aside for its hour of marinating. She turned to the stove, switching on the gas before adding the ginger ale and water into the pot to cover the ham she'd placed inside.

She was so busy that she didn't even notice someone enter her house.

It wasn't until he stepped into the kitchen that Caroline noted a stranger's presence.

She turned around cautiously and sighed in relief when she saw the blond hair and sincere eyes.

"Matt!"

"You're busy," he observed, smiling.

"Matty," she repeated his name, softer, remembering the last time they'd seen each other.

It had been a week.

"Merry Christmas, Care," Matt said, holding out his arms.

She grinned and rushed into them, embracing her friend tightly.

"Merry Christmas," she whispered in his ear, still shocked by the fact that he was even here.

His hug tightened for a moment before he released her.

"Are my eyes deceiving me or are you actually cooking?"

Caroline breathed away the impending tears. After everything that she'd said to him, she couldn't believe that he'd come here. She'd wanted to call him so many times but her pride and fear of rejection had stopped her.

Now he was here, showing her that she'd had nothing to be afraid of.

"Shut up!" she slapped him playfully on the arm, "I've always been able to cook."

"Yeah," Matt sarcastically agreed.

He looked at the whirlwind state of the kitchen.

"Need any help?"

Caroline scoffed. "Ok, now I happen to know for sure that _you _do not know how to cook."

"Hey, after living alone for a year, a guy learns a few skills."

"Yeah, like which Mystic Grill meals freeze best," she shot back, returning to the counter to prick her sweet potatoes.

Matt laughed. "Ok, you got me."

He looked over at the kitchen sink which was practically piled all the way to the roof and smirked.

"But you know something else I learned at the Grill was how to do dishes. And one thing I _definitely _know is that you _hate _dishes."

Caroline looked over at the sink then back at Matt, her eyes practically making heart shapes.

"I knew a Christmas miracle would help me with those!"

Matt laughed at his friend, ever the enthusiast, before removing his jacket and rolling up his sleeves.

Caroline felt an overwhelming sense of love envelope her as she sensed Matt busy himself behind her, running soapy water into her kitchen sink. First Elena now Matt had turned up and helped her.

It was times like this when she knew why she would set her life on the line for her friends.

"Matt," she said, just loud enough for his human ears to pick it up.

"Yeah?" he asked distractedly as he checked the temperature of the water.

"Thanks for coming over."

* * *

It was almost one o' clock and Caroline was nervous.

Yesterday evening when she'd gone over to collect her groceries from Klaus, they'd discussed the details of today.

_"Dinner is at seven PM on the dot. Don't be late."_

_"I'll be there at one," he'd smiled._

_"Your dessert better be amazing," she added threateningly. _

_"I'd never give you less than you deserve," Klaus offered his usual dramatic compliment._

_After sufficient blushing, she'd managed to mutter a reply._

_"Speaking of giving, I hope you don't plan on buying me anything."_

_Klaus frowned. "Is that not traditionally done on Christmas day?"_

_"Yes. But I have no idea what to buy a one thousand year old vampire-werewolf so just… no gifts."_

_"You know, I don't think the gift-buying is necessarily supposed to be reciprocated."_

_"Well, it does with me. So promise me you won't buy me anything so I can go home and worry about a million other things in peace."_

_Klaus smiled at her comment, then lowered his head in half of a bow._

_"I promise."_

Now Caroline fidgeted with everything, including the everything-spattered apron she was wearing.

She still had so many things to do and she was nervous about Klaus being in the kitchen, watching her, when she had to do them. Then again, he probably wouldn't have decided to come so early if he didn't have a lot to do himself.

Oh, who was she kidding? Klaus hardly needed an excuse to spend more time with her.

Gulping, she realised that she was freaking out. She'd promised her mother that she wouldn't, so she tried thinking about something else.

Matt had left hours ago after also turning down her invitation. Rebekah was taking him somewhere on the outskirts of town that apparently had the most romantic getaway spot with a Christmas special.

After Matt had left and she'd had the luxury of leaving the kitchen, she'd set aside her outfit for the evening, then gone into her mother's room to make sure she had done the same. The Sheriff had promised that she would be home in time for dinner come hell or high water and that she'd looked respectable doing so.

Not that their entire conversation had gone down that easily.

_"So, I kinda need to tell you something." Caroline had started off nervously._

_Liz frowned. "Caroline, what is it? I have to get to work."_

_"Well, it's no big deal, it's just that I invited someone else to dinner."_

_"Someone else?"_

_"Yeah." Caroline had bit her lip nervously."Um, I know this probably won't make a lot of sense to you right now, but I really need you to be okay with it. We're friends now and he had nowhere else to go."_

_Liz didn't have the slightest of clues what her daughter was talking about._

_"Caroline, who did you invite? You know there's always place in our house."_

_Caroline cleared her throat, then whispered out, "Klaus."_

_"Who?" Liz asked, annoyed. _

_She had to get to work and her daughter was not making this easy._

_"Klaus," Caroline had repeated, louder._

_"Klaus?" Liz asked in disbelief. "Klaus Mikaelson?"_

_"Mom, you said there's always place in our house."_

_"For everybody who _hasn't_ tried to kill you," the Sheriff emphasised, pulling her shirt straight, ready to leave._

_"Mom, please. Give him a second chance. Pleeeeease."_

_Her daughter was pleading with her and Liz had never been able to handle that very well. Besides, if Caroline truly was friends with the man now, then surely Liz should find out what her daughter was getting herself into?_

_"Fine," Liz relented._

_"Thank you, Mom!" Caroline called out, jumping up and down as her mother opened the front door._

_Liz rolled her eyes. She was about to step out, when Caroline called out again._

_"And please be nice!"_

_"Am I ever anything but?" Liz asked dryly, grinning at her daughter and making her way out._

_Caroline's smile had reached from ear to ear, ecstatic that the night was finally primed to run perfectly._

Caroline realised in annoyance that she was once again thinking about Klaus, albeit indirectly.

That's when she heard a car pull up. Frowning, she made her way to the front door. Klaus never came to her house in a car.

She opened the front door to reveal a black Bentley with its top up standing opposite her house. Klaus climbed out, grabbed two duffel bags from the passenger seat and made his way to her.

He was dressed as simply as ever, clearly ready to cook, and she wondered what the duffel bags held besides his ingredients.

"You look like you've been busy," Klaus noted, observing her dirty apron.

"It's all I've been," she replied, before stepping aside so he could pass.

He smirked before walking around her and into the kitchen. Setting his bags on two stools, he began pulling things out and stacking them on the surface.

Caroline watched him closely from the doorway.

When he'd seemingly finished unpacking for the moment and was heading to the freezer with something in a large white tub, she spoke.

"What's that?"

"Chestnut ice cream," he responded, cramming into her freezer.

Caroline frowned. "So your dessert's already done?"

"_One _of my desserts is already done," he corrected, before opening the fridge and sticking a few flasks, another tub, milk and cream inside.

She didn't even want to ask any more questions. Klaus seemed like he wanted to surprise her. Which – and yes, even she was shocked to find – she felt fine with. She liked Klaus' surprises.

"How have you been getting on?" Klaus asked when he'd finished.

"Uh, well, but I still have tons to do."

"Need help?"

"No," she said, pretending to be affronted. "You just stick to your course, dessert-man."

He smiled and shook his head, gathering his ingredients in a corner of the kitchen counter that had somehow managed not to get involved in Caroline's whirlwind of cooking.

Caroline entered the kitchen and curiously eyed his ingredients. It seemed like he would be making a cake.

Oh, well. She had her own things to focus on. Like roasting a turkey, for one thing.

* * *

"Why are you doing that?" Caroline asked a few hours later.

"I'm afraid they'll lead a revolution and take over the house if somebody doesn't clean them," Klaus replied, gesturing to the massive mound of dishes before him.

Caroline grinned. "Who's being dramatic now?"

He ignored her. "Besides, my cake's in the oven and I won't be making the eggnog till later."

"You don't have to do them."

"Why wouldn't I? You're busy preparing the rest of this spectacular meal."

Caroline smiled, glad that Klaus' back was to her so he couldn't see her face.

For the past four hours he'd kept marvelling at how much food she was making, how adept she was at it, how good things looked when they came out of the oven, and generally being the best company one could ask for in a kitchen.

Besides the time he'd started a flour fight, of course. While she'd appreciated the comic relief, she so did not appreciate the light sheen of white powder that now dusted most of her body.

Caroline finished adding the last touches to everything that would need to go into the oven once Klaus' cake came out, then emptied a spot on the kitchen counter and pulled herself up onto it.

She watched the muscles in Klaus' arms relax and contract as he rhythmically washed a dish then set it down.

"I'm truly beginning to regret agreeing to your no-buying policy," Klaus suddenly announced. "A dishwasher could do you wonders."

Caroline grinned. That was a gift she could _definitely _use, but then again Klaus' ability to get her something she would love had never been in question.

Her ability to get even him anything he might even remotely like was the problem.

She smirked. "I'll dry if you promise not to start a sud war."

"Not making any more hasty promises," Klaus responded and Caroline rolled her eyes, smiling.

She pulled a dishcloth from a drawer, before joining Klaus at the sink.

"Your cake smells great."

"Thank you," Klaus replied simply.

"What flavour is it?"

"Knew you were fishing," Klaus smirked.

Caroline scoffed. "I wasn't fishing, I was trying to make conversation!"

"Uh-huh."

Caroline huffed and continued drying the dishes in silence.

She hated silence.

"How long is your stupid cake gonna be in there for, anyway?"

She turned back from placing a dried glass on the counter beside her and suddenly Klaus was right in front of her.

"Did you just call my cake stupid?"

Her breathing shallowed at the proximity of their faces but she just shrugged.

"You wouldn't tell me what flavour it was."

He smirked, before his hand reached behind him and then quickly forward again, placing some soapy suds on her nose.

He glanced at the clock behind him.

"That will be another ten minutes," he answered her question.

She glared at him. "No sud war, remember?"

"Takes two to start a war, sweetheart," he grinned, winking at her.

"Ugh."

She hated how much she loved the way he annoyed her.

* * *

"You're freaking out."

"I deserve to freak out!"

"Love, you're cooking for me and your mother. Not the president."

She scoffed. "It doesn't matter _who _I'm cooking for. Everything has to be perfect."

He stared at her for a moment, then seemed to relent, smiling.

"Of course. But calm down, love."

She took an exaggeratedly deep breath then blew it out purposefully hard. Klaus smirked at her effort then turned back to icing his cake.

It looked amazing.

She still wasn't sure what kind of cake it was but right now it was covered in a creamy caramel-coloured frosting and she was dying to have a bite of it.

Klaus was busy adding those expert strokes to the icing so that it looked decorated instead of just covered. It annoyed her how good he was at it.

Seeming satisfied, he lifted his double-tiered cake atop the brand new cake stand he'd brought along and transferred it to the fridge.

Then he turned to her, frowning.

"Need my help with something?"

Caroline shook herself out of her daze. "What? No!"

She pulled out a grill pan and, setting it on the stove, applied the butterflied leg of lamb to it. Then she pulled out a pot, placed it beside the grill pan and began preparing the white wine gravy for the turkey.

"Actually…" Caroline said, biting her lip as she caught sight of Klaus looking lost from the corner of her eye. "Could you chop up the stuff for the salad?"

He smiled softly and immediately moved to do what she'd asked.

It was nice.

Everything about this felt nice. Normal. Like cooking with Klaus was a normal thing that she did all the time.

Like it wasn't incredibly strange and probably the weirdest thing she'd ever done.

How did he fit into her life so easily?

It scared her. When she'd gone through her carefully itemised list of why her and Klaus could never be a thing, and oh had she gone through that list a good number of times, his inability to fit into her life had earned a near-top spot.

And yet, she'd been wrong, hadn't she?

It was beginning to seem more like he wouldn't fit in with the _people_ in her life, than her actual life.

But those people were a part of what made up her life… weren't they?

She heard Klaus finish his chopping behind her just as she finished cooking the gravy. She turned to reach the sieve and realised too late that her arm was blocking his way.

He glanced at her sheepishly.

"I was just going to get the milk and cream."

She didn't move, captivated by something. She wasn't sure what.

"For the eggnog," he explained further.

Her eyes left his and she pulled her arm away, sieve in hand.

Caroline cleared her throat. "Don't forget the eggs."

When she'd finished sifting the gravy, she poured it into the gravy boat that she'd dug out of the china cabinet. She moved towards the mini blender to make the pesto, sneaking what she hoped were inconspicuous glances at Klaus as he added things into a large pot on the stove.

She cleared her throat again. "I'm almost done here and then I'll take a quick shower."

He nodded. "Ok. I should be done here soon too."

She nodded as well before turning back to her blender. How had things gotten so awkward between them so fast?

Whatever had happened, she wanted to get out of this kitchen and fast.

* * *

Caroline was whisking the cranberry jelly with a fork to loosen it when Klaus entered the kitchen, fresh out of the bathroom.

She froze as she stared at the black suit he was wearing paired with a deep purple open-collared shirt. She quickly dragged her eyes away before her brain found a way to make things awkward again.

Klaus wasn't as shy, as he appreciatively took in the bright red mini dress she was wearing. It was festive, sexy and fit her perfectly.

"You look gorgeous," he stated honestly.

"Thank you," she responded with her head still down. "My mom came while you were in the shower. By the time she's done changing we should be able to have dinner."

Klaus glanced at his watch and smiled. "Perfect." He frowned, looking at her. "Need any help?" he asked, already removing his suit jacket.

"Um, yeah, actually," she replied, biting her lip. "The ham, turkey and lamb need carving."

"On it," he grinned.

She smiled in spite of herself before retrieving the nicer bowl she'd found to transfer the jelly into. After that she busied herself with the last-minute garnishing and re-plating.

"You two look pretty good together," Liz's voice came from the kitchen door.

Klaus and Caroline had been so involved in their respective jobs that they hadn't even noticed her mother enter the room.

Caroline began blushing but her mother quickly clarified.

"You could start a cooking show."

They both smiled shyly.

"Hello, Klaus," Liz greeted diplomatically.

"Sheriff Forbes, I appreciate you having me in your home."

Caroline looked from Klaus to her mother then rolled her eyes. She would never understand how he managed to charm anyone with a sentence.

He walked over to a part of the room from where he seemed to pull a bouquet of flowers out of thin air – or, at least, she hadn't seen him bring them in. He handed them to her mother and Caroline watched as her mother, the feisty Sheriff, melted right before her very eyes.

"Call me Liz."

Her mother was totally making heart eyes at Klaus!

"Caroline, put these on the table," her mom ordered as Klaus got back to carving.

"But Mom!" Caroline pouted. "The table's _finally_ perfect."

"You've said that seven times today," her mother said, hand on her hip.

"That's because I changed it _twelve _times, and now it's perfect!"

"Well, make it thirteen," Liz said, holding out the bouquet.

Caroline glared at her mother for a second before huffing and doing what her mother said.

Left alone, Klaus continued carving as Liz began searching through drawers for something.

Caroline had come back in and was adding the raspberries and candied nuts to the top of Klaus' cake when her mother finally triumphantly pulled out something that had been wedged between a book and a cupboard door.

Grinning, she turned to the two blondes behind the counter.

"Ok you two, pose for the camera!"

Caroline was about to scold her mother for being the most impossible person on the planet before she thought, _what the hell it's only one picture_, and sidled up next to Klaus. The tips of his warm fingers lightly grazed the skin on her arm, raising the hair there.

Satisfied, Liz took the picture before placing the device down on the counter without looking at the product, unaware that she'd actually taken more than one picture.

"Dinner's almost done, right? I'm starving."

Caroline glanced at the clock pointedly, a little offended. "Mom, you know I'm nothing if not punctual. Go sit down and we'll bring in the food."

Liz glanced up at the clock which was just about to strike the 7 and the 12, before shaking her head amusedly and making her way to the dining table.

* * *

"The table looks fantastic," Klaus noted as he entered the dining room and Caroline smiled, pleased.

She'd arranged the table in true Caroline fashion, with it all stylishly tasteful but still a little over the top considering it was all for only three people. And despite her protests, the flowers matched her silver and red colour scheme perfectly.

The three of them sat down to the table laden with food.

"Wow," Liz breathed, at the sheer amount of food before them.

A finger to her lip, Caroline smiled sheepishly. "So maybe I went a little too far. A _little_."

Her mother raised her eyebrow and Caroline did the adorable smile she knew her mother couldn't resist.

"You can always take some leftovers to the officers at the station tomorrow," she offered.

Her mother's face softened. "Good idea but definitely not any of that marshmallow dish," she teased.

"Ok, Mom, two words: sweet potatoes and marshmallows. Who could resist a combination like that?"

"Me," Liz retorted, grabbing another dish as she gave the offending one a wide berth. "I don't even know how you came up with that."

Caroline huffed. "I saw the recipe online, saw that it had marshmallows and I had to try it!"

Klaus had been watching this exchange in amusement and now he reached for the bowl of sweet potatoes.

"I for one am very curious to see how it tastes."

"Like stomach ache," her mother muttered, forgetting she was with two beings who had enhanced hearing.

Klaus restrained himself from laughing as Caroline glared while her completely oblivious mother continued to dish herself some squash.

* * *

"So, Klaus, you've lived a… long time," Liz said with a small smile when they had all eaten a bit. "You must have some interesting Christmas stories."

Klaus swallowed the delicious mouthful of turkey he had been chewing and turned to smile at Caroline's mother charmingly. He had to admit, he liked the woman. In her he observed the same spunk that he recognised and adored in her daughter.

"Guilty as charged. Not particularly relevant to the holiday, unfortunately."

"Not the religious type?" Liz enquired curiously.

Caroline's head popped up. This conversation seemed to be leading somewhere interesting. Faith was a topic her and Klaus had never really broached, besides that one day she'd done that weird and really presumptuous analysis of his painting.

So she waited with baited breath to hear his answer.

"I'm willing to accept the _idea_ of religion. I just haven't found one that quite suits me yet," he replied cryptically with a tiny secretive smile.

"Fair enough," Liz laughed.

Caroline stared at the man opposite her, noting the cross that hung around his neck – one of the many chains that were visible through the open collar of his shirt.

Liz reached for the bottle of wine but Klaus got to it first.

"Please. Allow me."

Klaus topped up her mother's drink before turning to Caroline.

"Caroline?"

She smiled and nodded before shifting her eyes to her mother, silently urging her to start another conversation. Liz caught the message.

"I still can't believe you two made all this."

"To be fair, Liz, I only made the dessert."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Klaus helped me with the food too."

Klaus looked at her amusedly from across the table. She just never could accept his compliments.

"You make a great team," Liz offered and they both accepted. "You know, it's funny, Klaus, when I think of the night you first set foot in my house."

Caroline stiffened. Why was her mother bringing this up? It was like the last thing on the list of acceptable conversation topics ever!

"I saved Caroline's life… after endangering it," he acknowledged.

Caroline watched her mother's eyes meet Klaus' and almost smirked, knowing exactly how difficult it was to pull yourself away from those blue glimpses into his soul.

"But I _never _intended for her to die… and I wouldn't have let her."

Caroline felt her heartbeat speed up. Klaus hadn't even known who she was that night. And neither had he really after he'd left. But he'd sent her that dress and an invitation to his Ball and she couldn't help wondering: how had he known? How had he known that they might end up here one day? Around a Christmas table with her mother?

How did he know, right off, that she was the one?

Feeling her cheeks burning and a suspicious dampness beginning at her eyelids, Caroline looked down at her plate.

Damnit, how did he manage to do this to her when he wasn't even looking or talking to her?

"I'm glad Caroline invited you," she heard her mother say, and knew it was Liz's acceptance of Klaus' strange apology. "Nobody should be alone on Christmas."

Caroline looked up to see what his reaction would be, only to find herself in the same situation her mother had been in a few seconds ago.

Klaus was staring straight at her, unblinking.

"Your daughter is a remarkable woman, Liz. And an even better friend."

* * *

"You haven't been saying much," Liz noted worriedly as she grabbed ahold of her daughter's hand while Klaus fetched the cake.

Caroline didn't forget that he could probably hear everything from here to Timbuktu though.

"Oh, uh, I was just nervous about you guys liking the food," Caroline lied.

"Well everything was amazing, so stop worrying," her mother ordered, smiling.

Klaus came in bearing his massive and insanely well-decorated cake.

"Mom, could you get the ice-cream from the freezer?" Caroline asked as she rushed to make space for the cake on the table.

Liz sped off after giving a thumbs up.

Klaus placed the cake down and looked at it proudly.

"I have not baked a cake for a very long time," he said as he stood beside her.

"Well I hope you approve of my placement of the nuts and stuff."

She didn't want him secretly to be thinking that she'd ruined his amazing record cake or something.

He looked down at her. "Caroline, you know you only make everything better."

With her unable to reply, they stood spellbound till her mother returned to the room holding the Tupperware dish.

Caroline quickly moved away, hoping her mother hadn't picked up on anything. She began to move bowls onto the cleared table.

"So do we finally get to know what kind of cake you made?" Caroline asked Klaus teasingly.

Half because she was starting making a concentrated effort to talk more now that her mother seemed worried and half because she'd been _dying _to know all day.

Klaus smirked as the women sat down and he began slicing into his triple-tiered cake.

"Well, seeing as it's Christmas I made a pumpkin cake with caramel cream-cheese frosting. And that," he said pointing to the plastic bowl, "is chestnut ice-cream."

Caroline almost groaned as he simultaneously explained his baking choices and pulled away a slice of his cake. It looked deliciously moist and, more importantly, like it was made of pumpkin.

Caroline loved pumpkin.

She watched in fascination as her mother took a taste of both desserts and knew just from her face that she was about ready to adopt Klaus.

Caroline wouldn't even contest it, either. She'd always thought that pumpkin pie was her ultimate favourite dessert ever, but this cake beat even that. And the ice-cream was so good that if it had come from anyone else, she would seriously have considered its 'homemade' credentials.

When Liz had finished off half her dessert in an ashamedly fast amount of time, she looked up at Klaus and Caroline.

"So I am seriously amazed by the job you two pulled off here. This was an amazing dinner."

"You sound surprised," Caroline said, grinning.

"Well, I had my doubts about two vampires cooking me a meal," Liz confessed.

Caroline scoffed. "It was all human food." She winced as she thought about her words. "And by that I mean food _meant _for humans, not made out of them."

Klaus smirked. He loved watching Caroline try to correct something she had said that could be misconstrued.

Liz had winced along with her daughter but now laughed. She watched Klaus refill their glasses with champagne.

"You know, that reminds me of this other dinner I went to once. It had all the weirdest ingredients in it," she recalled, shuddering, "and alcohol in almost every dish."

With that she narrowed her eyes at the two before her.

"Speaking of which, how much alcohol did I have here tonight that didn't come in my glass?"

Caroline rolled her eyes at her mother's policewoman act.

"Nothing major, Mom. Just the white wine gravy for the turkey and some cherry brandy in the cranberry sauce."

"And dark rum in the ice-cream," Klaus added.

Liz's eyes widened before she shook her head, smiling.

"Ok that means I'm officially cutting myself off, Klaus."

"But he made you egg nog," Caroline piped up.

Liz's eyebrows shot up in immediate interest and both Klaus and Caroline burst out laughing at her.

"I'll get it," Klaus offered once he'd stopped laughing.

Liz stood up soon after Klaus. "I think I'll take some to bed."

He nodded in acknowledgement and Caroline followed the two of them into the kitchen.

When she walked into the kitchen Klaus was digging in his duffel bag again before he retrieved a square wrapped object.

"I'll warm some egg nog; you open that."

Caroline frowned but her mother looked delightedly surprised.

Underneath the wrapping was a black velvet box. Liz glanced back at her daughter nervously before she slowly pulled open the jewellery box.

The sparkled of diamonds nearly blinded Caroline even from her spot by the door, forcing her to step nearer for a better look.

It was a necklace made up entirely of diamonds, not too different from the bracelet Klaus had once given her, and at the end hung a drop of sapphire.

It looked like it had cost more than their house and she immediately knew her mother wouldn't accept it.

"Klaus this is beautiful but I can't…"

"Liz," he said grabbing her arm with his free hand. His eyes met hers. "You deserve it."

Liz took the cup from him and smiled. "Well… thank you."

He returned her smile, elated by her acceptance and Caroline looked away, too touched by the scene she'd just witnessed.

That was when she glimpsed something magical outside the window.

"It's snowing!"

Both looked towards her and then at the window.

"I want to go see it!" Caroline announced.

It looked so pretty and it hardly ever snowed in Mystic Falls.

"Which is my queue to leave. A cup of egg nog under warm blankets will always beat a snowy night outside," Liz teased and Caroline rolled her eyes.

"Thank you again, Klaus," she said, holding up the box. "And thank you two for tonight. It was great," she said sincerely.

"Merry Christmas, Liz," Klaus responded.

"I love you, Mom," Caroline said softly.

"Merry Christmas. And I love you too, baby," Liz said, winking before she went to her room.

"I'll warm some more egg nog then we can go outside?" Klaus asked and Caroline nodded in agreement.

She went in to collect the dessert dishes and by the time she came back he was waiting for her with two steaming cups.

She took one before leading him outside.

* * *

Caroline sat down, cup in hand, on the second of her porch's steps and frowned when Klaus didn't immediately imitate her action.

Instead she felt something envelope her shoulders and turned to see Klaus draping his black suit jacket over her. She smiled at the thoughtful gesture before taking a sip of her egg nog.

She could no longer be surprised by how delicious everything he made was. She'd just have to get over her competitive nature to realise that one thousand years was way too unfair of a head start to have on anyone.

She stiffened when Klaus settled behind her instead of beside her but then eventually relaxed between his legs when he didn't attempt anything crazy like wrapping his arms around her or something.

They sat like that, staring up as the unique frames of ice dropped from the inky sky.

After draining her cup she set it beside her before wrapping herself up more securely in Klaus' jacket. She liked the smell that clung to it.

Deciding to make herself more comfortable, she relaxed even further into Klaus, sitting back against the inside of his thigh.

That was when she realised something.

"You aren't even looking at the snow!" she scolded.

Klaus smirked. "Sweetheart, I'm one thousand years old. I assure you I've seen my fair share of snowy nights."

Caroline scoffed. "That is so lame. What are you even looking at then?"

"Something far more rare," he replied vaguely.

She looked at him for a few moments then smiled, rolling her eyes. She turned back to the sky and there was silence for a few more moments before Klaus spoke.

"What are you thinking about?"

She didn't reply at first, staring up at the stars sadly.

"My dad," she replied simply.

Klaus froze, thinking of his family's Ball. She had forbade him from speaking of her father and now here she was, bringing it up.

He gazed at the top of her head, considering how best to go about discussing this with her as cautiously as possible.

"You miss him," he stated quietly.

Caroline nodded. "I used to spend every second Christmas with him when I was younger. I guess I just can't help being a little sad about him today."

Klaus nodded in understanding, then frowned. "It's more than that though, isn't it?"

Her breath caught. "What do you mean?"

There was a heavy pause as he considered.

"You miss her," he said. "Bonnie."

Tears started running down Caroline's face of their own accord.

She did. She missed her best friend.

She didn't move and they didn't speak anymore but she felt strangely more comforted than she had with Elena yesterday and she had no idea why.

* * *

"Seems your mother left us a fire," Klaus noted as they walked into the lounge.

He was right, the fireplace was ablaze.

"Thank god, I'm frozen."

It was true. Vampires weren't bothered by the cold but something about sitting outside in below freezing weather wrapped only in Klaus' suit jacket made her feel like all her bones were rubbing together uncomfortably. It was probably some blood issue, but she hadn't exactly done Vampire Biology so she couldn't be sure.

She went to stand in front of the fire and he joined her, once again taking a spot behind her.

This time it was to drop the jacket from her shoulders instead of placing it there.

Then his hands took its place, rubbing up and down, working warmth into her arms faster than any fire could.

Once again she relaxed against him, feeling the warmth of his body as his chest pressed into her back. Her head rested against him as she stared at the fire. It was beautiful.

She found herself idly wondering what the time was. Was it even still Christmas? How long had her and Klaus sat outside for?

"Stay here," he suddenly whispered into her ear.

She frowned and turned to face him, but he'd gone. She'd gotten two steps into searching for him before he was back.

"Where'd you go?" she asked, before her eyes dropped down to his hands.

He was carrying a massive sparkly white gift bag.

"You didn't," she threatened.

He only smiled as he joined her on the other side of the sofa.

She narrowed her eyes at him threateningly. "You promised."

"I promised that I wouldn't buy you anything. I didn't buy this."

Huffing, she fell down onto the sofa as he passed her the bag. She glared at him some more before reluctantly taking it.

She tried to calm the butterflies in her stomach as he sat down beside her. What could he possibly have gotten her and why did it need such a huge gift bag?

Gulping, she peered inside hesitantly. She frowned when she saw a large rectangular wooden box at the bottom of it. She glanced at Klaus curiously but he only pulled a face at her, so she reached into the bag to pull the box out.

She gasped as she took in the detail on it. She recognised some Viking symbols but there were plenty she didn't recognise at all. Some were pictures of creatures and shapes she couldn't make head or tails of, while others looked like they had been begun on with a certain concept in mind and then changed halfway through.

It was all carved into the dark wood of the box, the etched out wood shining a strange sort of gold.

"What is it?" she asked wondrously as her fingers roamed over the etchings.

"It belonged to my father, my real one. My mother told me about it before I killed her. I took it after ripping out her heart. I spent years attempting to use the box to locate my real family but it was of no use."

She stared back at him. Why was he giving her this? Why didn't it bother her that he was giving her the possession of a woman he'd murdered?

Was it because she felt touched that Klaus was giving her something that his father had given her mother?

The air became heavy and she had to gulp to stay afloat of all the emotions threatening to drag her under.

"Open it," he whispered.

She frowned up at him, before looking back down at the box. It didn't look like it opened.

She placed her palm on the top and slid upwards and, sure enough, it opened.

The first thing she spotted inside was shiny.

Diamond-shiny.

"My bracelet," she uttered in disbelief as she pulled out the bracelet Klaus had given her for her birthday.

It pleased Klaus to hear her call it her bracelet. And that she wasn't throwing it at him again.

"A re-gift, I know. But technically it still abides by your rules seeing as it wasn't even bought to begin with."

Caroline rolled her eyes but laughed. Klaus sure liked giving her stolen stuff. Although she supposed that was half her fault for making him promise not to buy her anything. Of course he was going to come up with some loophole in their deal. He was Klaus, after all.

She held her arm and the bracelet out to him and he smiled as he fastened it around her arm.

When he'd finished, he moved his head, gesturing back towards the box.

"Go on."

There was more?

She slid the lid further back before gasping.

In the box lay a silver dagger with a vial next to it.

"Is that – "

"An Original dagger and White Oak ash? Yes. I had a witch in New Orleans spell the dagger so that it won't bring any harm to a vampire who wields it."

She looked at him in confusion.

"Why would you give me this?"

"Well, seeing as half my family has expired, I have a few of them lying around. And while my siblings are important to me, my trust in them is limited. And certainly when it comes to you."

Damnit. That was so freaking considerate.

She ran a finger along the blade of the dagger. She'd never admired its beauty before.

She picked up the vial of ash to inspect it closer against the light when something else rattled into its place. Frowning, she lifted another vial out of the box and held it too against the light.

The liquid inside was thick and red and unmistakeable.

"Your blood?"

"I never intend on leaving your side again, Caroline. But if something were to happen…" he sighed in pain at just the notion. "It's for just in case."

His eyes were doing that magnetic thing to her again and she couldn't breathe. It was all just too much. The amount of thought and care that had gone into all these gifts was just too much for her.

"This is all so considerate," she managed to choke out. "Thank you," she added, because how could her ban on thanking him count for this?

"You're welcome," he smiled. "But I have a confession."

Her forehead wrinkled. "What?"

"The gift bag is new," he said with a dramatic tone, and she shoved him playfully, rolling her eyes.

Laughing at her, he reached over to pick something off the side table.

Taking her gift from her, he replaced it with a wine glass.

He'd poured her wine.

"Thanks, I could use that," she admitted.

She watched him slide the box bag into the bag and set it aside as the liquid made its way down her throat, before frowning.

"Is there blood in here?"

He smirked. "Yeah, have you had it like that before?"

"No, but it's good."

She kicked her heels off and then pulled her legs up underneath her before leaning her head back onto the couch. It wasn't as comfortable as she'd hoped.

Suddenly she started grinning like a maniac when a thought occurred to her and Klaus looked at her suspiciously.

"Santa Klaus," she uttered, barely containing her amusement.

His eyes narrowed. "Do not."

"_Santa Klaus_," she repeated and began giggling to herself so much that she couldn't stop no matter how hard she tried.

He just shook his head as he watched her giggle. Though he detested the perversion of his name, he couldn't be angry with her when she was being that adorable.

When Caroline finally managed to grasp ahold of herself, she looked over at Klaus. His arms were roped around the back of the sofa and he seemed to be zoning out.

And maybe it was all the alcohol from the day or maybe it was that he looked really warm and cosy, but she found herself sidling up to him and resting her head on his chest.

He stiffened in surprise for a second before his body relaxed and he placed an arm around her.

With his familiar smell enveloping her and how warm and cosy she felt, she could definitely go to sleep right then and there.

She sighed and for the first time in a long time it was a sigh of contentment.

"Klaus?"

"Hmmm?" he responded, and she was glad to know she wasn't the only one feeling oddly at peace.

"Thanks for coming today."

It was Christmas, what would a little gratitude hurt? She could go back to being stubborn tomorrow.

"Thank you for inviting me," he replied politely.

Thinking of Tyler and Elena and Matt and _Tyler_, damnit, she shook her head against his body. That wasn't what she'd meant.

"No, I mean… thank you for _being here_."

He didn't reply and for a few seconds she thought that maybe he wouldn't, before she felt his chest heave.

"I assure you, Caroline, there is not a single place I'd rather be."

* * *

A long note because it's Christmas! It's funny because I was actually writing this right around Christmas day. I think the holiday season influenced me because I spent hours researching what Caroline was going to cook and exactly how she was going to do it and then creating a menu. So yip, all the food mentioned in this chapter exists and I have the recipes. Maybe I'll give some a go next year ;)

It's really funny that I never wanted this chapter to happen because it needed up becoming really important in the greater scheme of things and I can't say how, but the clue is definitely the awkwardness in this chapter. It may have seemed random but it was not, I promise :)

Let's talk religion/faith for a moment, it being (fictional) Christmas and all. This story is in no way about religion but what I _am_ interested in is what Klaus believes in. A man who can only depend on himself, whose siblings have betrayed him numerous times – what can he put his faith in? You'll see me toy with that theme from time to time because it becomes important laaaaaater on.

Anyway, because the next chapter is the tenth, it will be all Klaroline! Ok, kidding. It's completely accidental so don't expect the same for the 20th. But yeah, the next chapter has three parts and all three are pure Klaus and Caroline. I don't know how it happened, but it just felt right. Somehow it just happened. 8 000 words of it ;)

I'm really interested to know what you guys thought of Klaus' gifts, and anything else in general about the chapter, so pleeeeease let me know what you thought! Reviews mean the world to me :)

Lyrics from _Why Can't I _by _Liz Phair_.

P.S. Klaus did bring iced tea. It comes up in the next chapter.


	10. Chapter 10

This chapter has an extra 3 000 words but you guys don't mind, riiiiight?

Midway through first writing this chapter I was re-watching 409 for some reason and noticed Klaus' line: "You've been dodgy and Caroline's been lovely, which I've come to recognise as a tool of distraction." And I realised there was a trust issue between Klaus and Caroline so of course I had to address it.

This is dedicated to Giulia, aka _Miss Full of Light _because I really hope she likes it and also she's my favourite.

* * *

**Chapter 10: Nothing**

_What would I do without your smart mouth_

_Drawing me in, and you kicking me out_

_Got my head spinning, no kidding, I can't pin you down_

_What's going on in that beautiful mind?_

Caroline groggily drew a hand over her face then groaned when she felt that she was still wearing mascara. Why on earth hadn't she washed her face last night?

She froze when she realised that the she didn't remember coming to bed at all.

"Klaus carried me to bed. Of course he did."

She groaned again, this time out of embarrassment, before cocking an ear. There was movement in her kitchen.

Pulling her minidress-clad body out from under the duvet Klaus must have pulled over her, she made her way to the kitchen, from where she could smell the most heavenly scent of coffee coming.

Her mother was there, packing herself lunch as she ate a bowl of granola.

"Nice pajamas," she noted sarcastically as Caroline took a seat.

"I need coffee," she complained.

Liz snorted. "Looks more like you need facewash. What happened last night?"

"I think I fell asleep and Klaus carried me to bed."

Her mother laughed. "What a gentleman."

"I'm a terrible host."

Her mother just looked at her daughter in amusement as she poured the two of them coffee.

Caroline folded her hands around the cup then took her first proper look at the kitchen. It was spotless.

"You packed all the food away and did the dishes!" she exclaimed happily.

"Dishes, yes. I thought it was the least I could do after that meal you and Klaus cooked yesterday. I assumed you packed the food away last night though."

"Oh god, Klaus did that _too_?" she asked exasperatedly. "How did he even know where to find the Tupperware?"

Finishing with her lunch, Liz smirked as she sat down opposite her daughter to finish her cereal.

"He is quite a guy, isn't he?"

Caroline looked up from her coffee suspiciously.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Honey, have you seen him? And he can cook, has an incredible taste in jewellery and is _so_ charming."

Caroline looked at her mother, miffed. Why did she have that dopey look on her face?

"Mom, he's too young for you." She frowned. "Um, too old… whatever."

"Exactly! He's older but looks younger; that is every middle-aged woman's dream!"

"I'm going to stop your Cougartown thoughts right there and remind you that he also happens to be a mass murderer."

"A mass murderer who knows how to find Tupperware," her mother winked.

Caroline rolled her eyes and took a gulp of her coffee.

"I'll bet he has a really nice butt," Liz said thoughtfully and Caroline looked up sharply, almost doing a spit-take.

"Are you kidding me right now, Mom?"

Liz only laughed as Caroline stuck her fingers in her ears: "I can never unhear that. Oh my god, I can never unhear that."

Liz shrugged and Caroline glared.

"I can't believe he managed to charm you of all people," she muttered as her mother went over to the fridge.

"Oh pipe down, baby, you already have a boyfriend."

"That is so not funny," Caroline retorted, but her mother only grinned.

Liz loved poking fun at her daughter every now and again.

She began to pull dishes out of the fridge; considering the station had managed to make it through one entire night without calling her, she thought the officers deserved some leftovers.

She gave her daughter another onceover and smirked again.

"I see he got you some bling too."

Caroline looked down at her wrist and sure enough, there hung the bracelet Klaus had given back to her last night in all its diamond glory.

"Ok first of all, don't say bling. And second of all… ok fine he has amazing taste in jewellery," she conceded.

Liz laughed again. "You know, I'm glad you invited him over."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Why, so you could ogle him?"

"_No_. Because I feel much better now about how much time you spend with him every day. I'll admit that I was worried at first, but you were right, it makes sense. Especially with the whole … massacre situation."

Caroline's spine straightened at the reminder. Just the mental image it invoked of all those bloody dismembered people made her want to gag.

"Do you have anything on that?"

"I'll pass it on to Damon once we have conclusive results."

"Seriously, Mom? Damon? You sure have a type," she muttered.

Her mother grinned. "Damon is a _friend._"

"And I'm your _daughter_."

"A very mouthy one," her mother agreed, placing a kiss on her head.

She grabbed the mountain of things that she needed to take in to the office and started heading for the door.

"I'll see you tonight."

"Bye, Mom," Caroline yelled just before the door shut.

Caroline stared into her dark cup, noting that she was starving. She first had to finish this coffee though because no way did she have the energy right now to cook herself anything. And she had to have a shower before she could even think of cooking anything. No way was she going to stand in front of a stove in this dress.

Her stomach growled disapprovingly before it was drowned out by knocking.

She looked at her coffee cup longingly but went to open the front door.

"Good morning, love," he said happily, smiling warmly.

Of course it was Klaus. She wanted to slap herself. What on earth had possessed her to go about answering doors when she hadn't showered and was still wearing last night's outfit and makeup?

She put her hands on her face ashamedly and peered at him through her fingers.

"Klaus what are you doing here?"

He smirked at her reaction. "I thought I'd take you for some breakfast."

"Plenty of food here," she replied, hoping to get rid of him as fast as possible so she could jump into a shower and get all the gunk off her face.

"Christmas dinner food, not breakfast food. Come on, love, it's a beautiful day!" he tempted.

She couldn't argue with any of that. Truthfully she wanted scrambled eggs, not turkey and sweet potatoes, and behind him the sun was indeed shining brightly.

"I'm not anywhere near ready to go anywhere," she replied, still trying to put him off.

But who was she kidding, this was Klaus.

"I'll wait," he replied.

She couldn't help smiling at that. "Ok, fine, come in."

He walked through her doorway looking like someone who had just won the lottery and she couldn't help shaking her head in amusement. He was so adorable sometimes.

"Ok, I will be back in… an indefinite amount of time," she announced, knowing that Tyler hated it when she said she'd be done in 10 and took 25 minutes.

"I have nothing but time," he said, holding out his arms as he sat down on a sofa. "Though we may want to get there while they're still serving breakfast," he finished, winking.

She rolled her eyes at him, but turned around frowning. As far as she knew the Grill served breakfast all day, so where was he taking her?

* * *

Caroline applied another layer of mascara then pulled her hair up into an artful ponytail. It had already taken her almost an hour to get this far and she wasn't going to make Klaus wait any longer while she curled her hair.

She grabbed her phone and purse and opened her room's door to find Klaus still patiently sitting on the sofa she'd left him on, in much the same position: his one leg pulled up onto the knee of the other as he stared off into space.

"Ready!" she announced.

He turned to look at her and smiled genuinely.

"You look lovely."

She smiled coyly. "Thank you."

She'd just pulled on black leather pants and an emerald shirt with heels, but it always made her happy to know that Klaus liked what she was wearing.

"Did I take too long? Were you bored?" she asked as they stepped outside.

She mothered people; it was her thing.

Klaus smirked. "I've waited longer for far less."

She was going to ask him what that meant when he sped over to his Bentley to hold her door open for her. Ever the gentleman.

She blushed, remembering her conversation with her mother earlier and then what had led to it. She brought it up as soon as he'd climbed into the car and pulled away.

"I'm sorry for falling asleep on you last night," she began.

Both literally and figuratively.

He looked at her, smiling. "There's no need to apologise, love."

Ok then. She bit her lip, wondering what else to say. 'Thanks for carrying me to bed' seemed a little weird.

But awkward car silences sucked.

"I think my mom likes you now though."

"Does she?" Klaus asked, amusement plain in his voice.

"Yeah." She considered. "Maybe a little too much, actually."

A small laugh escaped Klaus' lips.

"What exactly does that mean?"

"She may or may not think you're cute," Caroline teased.

"What did you say to that?" Klaus asked curiously.

"That you're too young for her. Or old. Still not sure which, to be honest."

He laughed at her again, shaking his head.

She turned to look at him interestedly. "Do you ever think about how, like, really really old you are compared to everyone around you?"

It was meant to be both teasing and a genuine question. She couldn't imagine what it must feel like to be a thousand years older than every single person you met.

His answer was succinct. "No." Then he cast a serious sidelong glance at her. "Do you?"

Oh, damn. He'd done it again.

Their conversation had gone from 'My mother might have a crush on you' to 'Do you think I'm too old for you?' with two words.

Unable to withstand the intensity of his gaze, she turned to look out the window. Which was when she realised that she had absolutely no idea where they were.

"Um, where exactly are we going?" she asked, strangely panicked.

He sighed, presumably still stuck in their previous line of conversation, before replying.

"A tiny restaurant on the edge of town. It's really more of a bed and breakfast but they do a spectacular breakfast buffet."

"Oh."

She'd lived in Mystic Falls all her life and had never heard of a place like that before. Still, she supposed she had no reason not to trust him.

She chewed on the inside of her lip, wondering what to do. She could answer him honestly and deal with whatever consequences arose out of that or avoid it some more and have a cloud of awkwardness hang over them all the way through breakfast and their training session.

"I think about it all the time," she said eventually. "But I like it."

* * *

Klaus' hand was on the small of her back when they entered the mysterious B&B and were greeted by the receptionist.

"Mikaelson," Klaus said to the man behind the desk.

Caroline tried to imagine what he'd probably seen as they walked into the small building.

A couple, definitely. The guy in a black velvet suit jacket over a white Henley and jeans, and the girl in a shirt, leather pants and heels. They looked almost too perfect together and were almost unnaturally beautiful. She definitely had the power in the relationship as she marched ahead, purse in hand while his hand remained on her back.

Caroline shook her head, laughing to herself a little. That probably wasn't what he'd been thinking at all.

"Chef Brambilla's in today," he informed them for no particular reason.

Caroline smiled politely and Klaus nodded thoughtfully.

The receptionist showed them the way to their table, seeming rather flustered.

Caroline gasped when they entered the restaurant. The reception area had been unimpressive but the restaurant was something different altogether. Klaus hadn't been joking when he said it was tiny, but it was also breathtakingly beautiful in the most charming of ways.

The white wallpapered featured a pattern of light blue fleurs-de-lis with gold cornices. The furniture was all very old world and everything just pretty much made her want to smile.

She did just that as she sat down on the chair Klaus offered her.

His fingers lightly grazed the length of her arm as he crossed to his own seat, lingering for a moment on her bracelet. The hairs on that arm stood straight up as a shiver ran through her entire body.

Klaus sat and smiled back at her. "Thank you for wearing it."

She blushed and looked down, shaking her head before looking straight back at him.

"Thanks for giving it back to me."

His eyebrow rose at that and he looked pensive. "To be quite honest, I wasn't sure that you would want it back."

She smiled shyly, looking down at the beautiful diamonds on the fine piece of jewellery.

"I wasn't sure how to ask for it back," she admitted.

Her eyes rose to his once more and they smiled knowingly at each other.

"We should get some food," he said, breaking the spell.

Mercifully Caroline's stomach didn't growl again, but it _definitely _agreed.

After they'd both dished themselves plates of food, a guy who was clearly the chef began making a beeline towards their table and Caroline rolled her eyes. Obviously Klaus knew the chef. Obviously.

"Good morning sir and madam, welcome!" the man said jovially.

Caroline frowned. So apparently Klaus didn't know him after all.

Klaus was definitely a customer you didn't forget, which meant this was the first time he'd come here. It seemed that Klaus liked this place a lot, so why was he only coming here now for the first time and why had he brought her?

"Ciao, mi chiamo Klaus. Le presento un amico mi, Caroline."

Caroline's eyebrow raised as a wide grin spread over the chef's face. Naturally Klaus spoke fluent Italian.

"Nice to meet you," Caroline smiled pleasantly, recognising the introduction.

The chef returned her smile before turning back to Klaus with wide eyes. She guessed he didn't meet many people in Mystic Falls who spoke Italian.

"Come va?"

"Lo sto bene, grazie."

"Ti stai divertendo qui?"

"Si certamente."

That was about all Caroline understood before they began rapid firing Italian back and forth. There was some laughing and plenty of gesturing from the chef's side before the conversation was over.

"Grazie, molto gentile," Klaus thanked and the chef moved away to another table.

"What was that all about?" Caroline asked, happy to have Klaus' attention back.

Klaus smiled and it was amazing how easily he slipped back into the English language and his corresponding accent.

"I told him I knew a Brambilla once. Turns out it was his great-great grandfather. Though I left that part out," he grinned toothily.

"Yeah, because it would freak him out!" Caroline teased. "Nice Italian, by the way."

Klaus' dimples came out and she swore he was somewhere close to blushing before they both looked back at their plates.

She stuck a piece of croissant in her mouth.

"I bet Mia likes that you speak it," she said evenly.

"I don't really give much thought to what Mia does or doesn't like," he responded.

She looked up, immediately mentally cursing. Of course he was staring back at her already. He had an uncanny ability of making their eyes connect like that.

And it was so impossible to look away from his eyes.

"Do you like the food?" he asked.

Taking the opportunity, she looked back down at her plate.

"Yeah, it's amazing."

Klaus smiled and nodded, pleased that she liked it.

His ear picked up a light vibration before Caroline's ringtone rung out.

Blushing apologetically, she pulled her phone from her purse before blushing deeper when she saw the caller ID.

"Oh god, it's Tyler."

Klaus kept a straight face, trying to control his temper. That hybrid sure had a way of interfering with his plans.

Biting her lip, Caroline pressed a finger to her screen to answer the call.

"Hey, Tyler."

"Care, hey!"

The connection wasn't great but not the worst he'd ever called her from either.

"Merry Christmas, babe. Sorry I didn't call yesterday, I couldn't find a good connection."

Like she hadn't heard that one before.

But she didn't say so, instead turning away from Klaus a bit ashamedly. Yesterday they hadn't spoke about Tyler at all and she'd been happy to let Klaus assume that Tyler had left her a massive gift and spent two hours on the phone with her.

"It's fine," she replied, because what else could she say?

"How was your day?"

She cleared her throat. She knew she was supposed to say that it had been fine but she'd missed him so much, but she couldn't lie about what an amazing day she'd had. Especially when the man responsible for that was sitting right by her.

"It was great… how was yours?"

There was a brief awkward silence.

"Ok. Just missed you."

"Are you coming back any time soon?"

"Not sure yet," he responded, his tone suddenly becoming hasty. "Listen, I gotta go, we'll speak later, ok? Love you, Care."

She didn't even get to say goodbye before the call disconnected.

Glaring at her phone, she slid it back into her purse before turning to Klaus.

"Sorry about that."

"No problem," he replied evenly as he went back to his food.

She looked at her plate, contemplating, then sighed.

"I know you have something to say about that."

"I thought I wasn't allowed?" he asked, still not looking at her.

"That was for Christmas dinner. It's not Christmas dinner anymore."

"Well I have nothing to say," he added before taking a bite of toast.

"Really?" she asked in disbelief.

Usually he jumped at the chance to throw shade on her relationship.

Swallowing, he sighed. "It has occurred to me that criticising your relationship only hurts you, and you aren't the person to blame for what's wrong with it… aside from the actual existence of it, that is," he finished, smirking.

"That's considerate," she replied, for lack of a better term.

He shrugged slightly before going back to his food. Caroline looked at her own plate but truthfully Tyler's call had made her lose her appetite. Instead she began looking around the restaurant again. She loved the antique feel of it but that her and Klaus in their more formal outfits didn't stick out either. You could come here in your swimsuit or a cocktail dress.

"I still can't believe that I didn't know about this place. Do you know how long it's been open for?"

"I believe a decade, more or less."

"Hmmm. I should tell Elena about it."

"So she can bring her Salvatore of the Week?"

She glared at him as he smirked back at her.

"That's not how it is."

"Don't make excuses, love. Doppelgangers are notoriously wishy-washy."

Caroline huffed but couldn't really think of a good defence. Particularly when Elena was currently with the wrong brother. And _especially _since Klaus had known three doppelgangers.

"Whatever," she reluctantly conceded.

He grinned and resumed eating.

She decided to stare at something else this time.

He was just so beautiful. So different from Tyler, which she could never label as a good or bad thing. Tyler was dark-haired and buff and just… _good-looking_.

But looking at Klaus was a completely different experience. There was his sandy hair and sexy scruff that made her just want to run her hands through it, and that was only the beginning. He was lean, exuding all kinds of calm strength as he towered above everything. He was just beautiful. Timelessly so.

Her eyes dropped to his lips. There was no way she was even going to think of describing them. That would not lead to anywhere good.

Suddenly Klaus looked up and though finally she had the upper hand in the staring game, she was too surprised to make any use of it.

He smirked, showing off his dimples. "What?"

"Nothing," she blurted.

He cocked an eyebrow. She hated it when he did that.

"Well it's just that talking about Elena with you kinda reminds of the night…"

"We kissed twice?" he finished for her when she just kind of left it hanging.

She relocated her gaze towards the roof, laughing at herself, then back at him. Now he was looking at her strangely.

"What?"

"Nothing," he replied, his eyes mischievous. "It just seems like you're ready to go a third round."

God, so he _had _caught her staring at his lips!

Despite blushing furiously, she did her best to maintain eye contact with him.

And failed badly.

"Is that a yes?" he asked sneakily.

"No! That's a no!"

Noting that his plate was still half-full, she jumped out of her chair.

"I'm going to get some fruit!"

With that she stalked off to the buffet table.

She was picking up a slice of watermelon from across the room and could still hear him laughing at her.

* * *

Caroline struggled against him but it was hopeless. She'd lost.

Klaus had her pinned to the ground, and could have staked her already.

Instead he was just staring at her from an uncomfortably close distance.

She couldn't stop herself from glancing down at his lips only to see them form into his familiar smirk.

"Thinking of our conversation earlier, sweetheart?"

"Ugh," she rolled her eyes.

"Because you can still change your mind."

_God yes. _

_No no no no shut up!_

"Get off me, Klaus."

"You know," he started and she could already tell whatever he had in mind was going to have her blushing. "I believe you still owe me hot hybrid vampire sex."

Instead of blushing, she smiled. She couldn't help it. That day in the woods just seemed so hilarious in retrospect. The girl in the woods that day who had wanted to sanitise her mouth would never have believed that in a few months' time she would be daring Klaus to kiss her.

So she laughed. It started with a tiny giggle and slowly snowballed until she was shaking with laughter.

It caught him off guard; he had been expecting another brush-off or hostile remark. But she looked so beautiful, as she always did with her face so open and bright, that light from her eyes directed only at him.

So he couldn't help but laugh too.

To a passer-by it would have looked close to ridiculous. A well-dressed blonde violently pinned to the ground underneath a darkly dressed man who looked ready to murder her.

Except both of them were laughing their heads off on the forest floor.

_It was such a Klaus and Caroline moment._

She wasn't really sure what that meant, but it occurred to her suddenly, causing her to grow silent mid-laugh.

Every moment and experience with Klaus was new and strange and different but it always felt so _right_. She didn't know how, but it could be Christmas dinner with her mother or Boxing Day breakfast in a weird restaurant in her town that she hadn't even known existed or giggling with him in the middle of a freaking forest – somehow it just all felt right and safe and like it was what she was supposed to be doing. What she should have been doing all along.

He stopped laughing too and she sucked in a breath, settling into the moment again.

She was underneath Klaus right now.

He was so close all she had to do was inch upward. It wouldn't take much.

He was looking at her and she was looking at him and he smelled freaking amazing and his lips were so damn enticing.

Her free right arm crawled upwards, her hand reaching into his soft hair.

And for a second she planned to. She really did.

But it was also the perfect moment for something else.

He registered the sly smile too late before he found himself on his back with a forearm against his throat and a fist pressed to his heart.

"Boom. You're dead," Caroline announced triumphantly.

"And _you're_ cunning."

She winked at him before standing up and shaking off her pants. The next time Klaus decided to take her somewhere nice right before a lesson, she would really have to put some more practical thought into her outfit.

She checked her watch.

"That's two-thirty."

"Drink?" he asked from beside her.

"Hmmm, I don't know. Is it iced and… tea?"

He grinned. "Unfortunately I'm out. But I can guarantee something stronger."

Caroline wrinkled her nose. "After all the alcohol last night, I think I'm good."

He nodded, looking a bit disappointed as they slowly walked back up to his house.

"But somebody told me you also stock water and I'm really interested to see _that_," she teased.

His eyes met with hers and she was blown away by the look of surprise and fading rejection he held there for her.

How did he manage to look up at her when he was taller?

It was a quick glance and he quickly looked away again. She stared at the man walking beside her with his hands clasped behind his back as he made sure to stay in step with her.

"What?" she asked, because she could tell something was bothering him.

Besides, it had been an effective tool to get into each other's minds so far today.

She stopped so that he would and he looked away in annoyance. Like he had to no choice but to do what she did.

The thousand-year old hybrid bending to her will. It made her feel immense power. Enough to make her step forward so that he couldn't look anywhere but at her.

A pained sigh escaped him as he forced his eyes to hers. "What you did just now, it reminded me of something. How any time we've spent together has always been a part of some plan with your friends to distract me. And I confess it's occurred to me that you came along with me a bit too willingly today. Since when do you _want _to spend an entire day with me? What's really going on here, Caroline?"

Her heart thumped against her chest painfully as her eyes stung. He thought she was here distracting him again. Because nobody would ever want to spend time with _Klaus. _All her time with him was bargained and planned and measured off.

The worst part was that he was right.

Hardly any of their moments together had been by her choice. She was always ordered into being bait or going to balls to protect her friends or being blackmailed into watching a DVD.

Reluctantly agreeing to go on a rooftop.

Maybe that's why last night held such a warm place in her heart. She'd invited him to Christmas dinner, completely of her own accord. She'd simply wanted him there and he'd come.

"You were supposed to say 'Nothing'," she replied, but it was weak.

She turned away because all she wanted to do right now was go home. She couldn't cry in front of him, not when it was because he was right.

When it was because he thought he wasn't good enough for her to spend her time on.

That he didn't deserve it. And that maybe she'd made him feel that way.

"I told you not to turn your back on me," he snarled, grabbing her arm.

"I'm not. I'm waiting for you," Caroline replied calmly.

He blinked, confusion replacing the anger.

"I'll see you later," she said, because in her mind they had a set time for late-night boredom meetings now.

Ripping her arm away, she walked off.

_He's so fragile. He's fragile and I can break him._

It's what Tyler would want her to think.

_He's fragile and I want to fix him, that's all this is._

It's what she should have been thinking.

He was trying so freaking hard to push her away before she could do the same to him.

But she would show him.

She'd show him how strongly she could hold on.

_He's so fragile and all I want to do is hold him properly._

* * *

She was fiddling with a knick-knack on her side table when the doorbell went. She checked her watch and smiled before going to the front door.

"You're late," she said as soon as she'd pulled it open.

He grinned toothily because they had no set time whatsoever.

"I'm sorry," he apologised anyway. "I was finishing a painting."

He walked inside and she pulled at his hands to investigate. She wasn't sure why she was doing it except maybe because she just wanted to touch his hands.

"You don't believe me?" he asked and she didn't have to look up to know he was smirking.

Though his nails were clean, there were small smudges of paint in the crevices between his fingers, and one small smear of midnight blue on the side of his hand.

Satisfied, she looked up at him, ignoring his question.

"What were you painting?"

She liked this between them. That the world could fall apart or they could rip each other to pieces before coming back together and to talk about nothing and everything and the rest didn't really matter anymore. Maybe it was because his moods shifted so easily or maybe it was because she couldn't stay mad at him, but whatever it was, she liked it.

"A treasured memory," he replied cryptically.

She narrowed her eyes at him but she could tell she wouldn't be getting anything more out of him than that.

"Have you eaten?" she asked as she led the way to the kitchen.

"Are you offering?" he fired back.

She turned to him, walking backwards. "Yeah, I don't really feel like dying from a werewolf bite tonight, maybe some other time," she replied sarcastically.

He grinned. "Nothing to fear, love, I have the cure right here," he stated, holding out his arm.

She rolled her eyes and turned back around as they entered the kitchen.

"I _meant _that I have tons of leftovers."

"I'd never say no to your cooking, Caroline."

She smiled at him before opening her fridge to pull out dish after dish.

"Thanks for putting all this away, by the way," she muttered from behind the refrigerator door.

She hated thanking him for things. Maybe because if she started she wouldn't be able to stop. He'd done a lot to her and her friends. But he'd also done a lot _for_ her.

It was her ongoing dilemma of Klaus VS Klaus all rolled up into two tiny words.

He didn't respond and she knew it was because he knew exactly how she felt about it. Ugh, she hated that about them.

When she emerged from behind the fridge door he'd already placed down two plates so she began dishing into them.

Having nothing more to do as he stood back, Klaus was struck by the intense desire he felt to pull her hair aside right now and kiss the back of her neck.

He couldn't help the thought; she was just so adorable when she focused on a task.

"Could you pour us some iced tea?" she asked absently as she artfully draped pesto over a few slices of lamb.

He smiled affectionately. Anybody else may have asked her what the point was if they were going to be eating it in five minutes, but Klaus didn't. He understood her need for perfection.

Instead he pulled out glasses and the iced tea.

When he'd finished pouring and their food was in the microwave, he looked at her pointedly and she already knew what was coming.

"Caroline, I'm – "

"Klaus, don't apologise. Please."

His eyebrows knitted together. Why would she not want an apology for the way he had treated her this afternoon?

He had spent the proceeding hours beating himself and everything in a close radius up for being such an idiot. He'd had her right there with him and he'd pushed her away.

And yet somehow he'd still managed to procure an invitation from her for him to come back.

"I mean don't get me wrong, you were pretty awful this afternoon," she teased, "but…" She sighed. "I get it. I get why you don't trust me. I haven't been the most upfront person in the world with you. Everything I do is all strange and I'm probably always giving you mixed signals but that's because I'm so mixed up in my head about us."

"Caroline – " he started, but she had to get this out.

"I like you, Klaus. I really really do. I think you're amazing and smart and funny and I have so much fun with you. You treat me like nobody else does and… I love that about you. I love that you say the right thing even though it annoys me because I _never _say the right thing and I love that you're here and that you came back for me."

She took a deep breath.

"And I have no idea what that makes us but I _know _that nobody is forcing me to spend my time with you."

She looked at him for the first time since she'd started her speech and wasn't surprised to see him wide-eyed as he looked at her in disbelief.

Of course right then the microwave went off.

She bit her lip, suddenly feeling incredibly vulnerable. Was this how he felt every single time he told her how he felt? How in the hell had he managed to tell her that he planned on being her last love?

She felt raw and emotional just from her little confession that she liked him as a person. And the fact that he was just standing there not saying anything was not helping matters.

Caroline pulled the plates from the microwave to add the items that had to be eaten cold. Her hands hovered above the foods, unsure of what those even were in her current mental state.

Damnit. She felt like crying. How did he do this to her?

"Caroline."

His voice was hoarse and his hand was on her arm. She stilled before blinking multiple times and turning to him.

Every time she thought that she had every look of his sorted, he would pull something else out and it would completely make her lame at the knees.

It terrified her that his eyes had the ability to do that to her.

He was looking at her so softly and affectionately and like he'd never quite seen something just like her before.

She liked that they understood each other so completely but that she could still confuse him.

"Caroline where did that come from?"

She stared down at his hand on her arm until he removed it. But that hadn't been what her look had meant and she caught his wrist to hold it tightly.

She had just been trying to put her reply into words.

"I don't know. I just couldn't let you take the blame for this afternoon when it's not your fault for not knowing what's going on inside my crazy mind," she laughed at herself. "It occurred to me today that you're always telling me how you feel about me and I just kind of keep you guessing at arm's length."

She tightened her grip on his arm, pulling it and him a little closer.

"You may want to push me away sometimes but I am _not_ letting you go."

He looked at her, speechless, and she too had run out of words because the way he was looking at her… she didn't even want to think about the thoughts that came up when he looked at her like that.

She cleared her throat and dropped his wrist, looking away.

"Now you go set the table before the food gets cold again," she ordered.

He walked away wordlessly but a palm drifted lightly across her lower back as he passed her and she couldn't help feeling like they'd reached another somewhere in their relationship that they wouldn't be able to label.

It would only impossibly complicate things even more.

She kind of liked it.

* * *

Caroline smiled when she walked into the dining room. Besides the table being perfectly set for a dinner for two, the lights were turned down and two candles were lit.

"Seriously? Candles?"

"They were already out," he pointed out.

She couldn't help grinning because she knew he was right: they were always out. But they usually served as unlit decorative items in the centre of the table. Klaus had gone ahead and lit them, as well as re-positioned them. Shaking her head amusedly, she placed down their plates and sat down.

It occurred to her that things were weird again. Sure, Klaus had made her feel better about it but in essence she had just spilled her guts to him about how she felt about _him_. That just felt unnatural.

Especially with Klaus.

They started eating and she was just beginning to have hope that this might pass as a silent meal when he spoke up.

"What did you mean? When you said that…" he frowned, trying to remember the way she had phrased it, "I always say the perfect thing and you always say the wrong thing?"

Not only were they now talking and about her stupid confession, but he was bringing up things she had said in the heat of the moment. Great. The _wrong things, _naturally.

"Exactly that."

He continued to stare at her, waiting for an explanation, so she sighed and relented.

"I just always say the inappropriate thing at an insensitive moment. Or vice versa," she added. "I used to do it all the time when I was human."

She pulled at a strand of her own hair. "You wouldn't have liked me then," she said, and it was mostly to herself.

She looked up to notice that his eyebrows were still knitted together as he regarded her.

"I don't think you changed as much as you think you did. And I like you the way you are now," he said simply.

She rolled her eyes. He was just being his usual charming self again.

"Oh, come on! Not even you can say that there isn't _something _about me that annoys you."

His gaze moved away from her to the view outside the window as she could see him consider her statement.

Great, now she had the lovely task of getting to sit around while he sorted through her flaws.

_She talked too much, she threw tantrums, she was quick to accuse and slow to thank, she was bossy and controlling and said 'seriously' way too much – the list was endless._

Looking back at her, he smirked.

"I'd say you have a pretty terrible taste in boyfriends."

She rolled her eyes again and elbowed him in the arm.

"Be serious."

His eyes sombered up as he pulled her in with that intent magnetic gaze once more. "Caroline I can honestly say that there is not a single thing about you that I don't admire or respect or think is incredibly endearing."

She blushed and looked down. If he hadn't taken his time to think about it, she could have just shrugged his answer off. But he'd actually considered her request and his answer had killed her.

Killed her.

So naturally she had to make a joke to cover it up.

"And _that _was the perfect thing to say."

His eyes widened slightly before he began to laugh and she joined in because it felt good.

Better than what was nagging at every corner of her brain.

She was picking at her food after the laughter had died down when she realised that he was staring at her.

She looked up suspiciously.

"What?"

"Nothing," he replied with a small smile as he went back to his food.

She glared at him. So that was going to be their thing for the day, was it?

Looking back up, he noticed her glaring and smirked.

"I was just thinking. You never did tell me why you asked me to kiss you that night."

She narrowed her eyes at him. _Why _had she brought up that night this morning? He kept bringing it up now.

"That's because I don't have to. Don't you know how Truth or Dare works? What happens in the game stays in the game."

"I know. It just came to mind, seeing as we were on the topic of your mysterious feelings."

He raised an eyebrow, knowing he had her.

Damn him and how smooth he was!

Sighing, she dropped her fork onto her plate.

"Fine," she bit out.

He smiled in smug satisfaction and sat backwards, clearly ready for a story. She couldn't believe she was actually going to do this.

"We were on the roof and I was looking down and thinking about our kiss and that _stupid _advice you'd just given me…" she pulled a hand over her face, already mortified with the one sentence she'd managed to utter.

"I can't do this."

He didn't urge her on beg or say anything at all. Just waited.

She sighed. "God, I can't believe I'm doing this."

He smiled a little at that. "It's only me, Caroline."

Yeah. Only_ him_.

"I was thinking about your advice," she repeated, "on distancing yourself from things and I thought," she scrunched up her eyes, re-living that moment when she'd tossed away her sanity. "If I didn't have a boyfriend or friends that hated you, what's the one thing I'd want to do right now?"

His breath hitched and she looked up, glad that for once she wasn't the one with giveaway physical signs. That was until she realised that he wasn't leaning backwards anymore, but right in front of her, the candles casting a soft glow on his face.

She had some brainpower left over to acknowledge that she was thinking about him as beautiful way too many times today.

But mostly she was just caught up in the moment.

Caroline realised that he seemed to be waiting for more, and truthfully she hadn't ended her story very well.

"I wanted to kiss you."

It was a whisper.

"Caroline, I want to kiss you _now_," he whispered back, his breath wafting over her lips, not wasting a second.

She faltered, her eyes drifting down to his lips, the memory of their amazing softness and wicked sensual touch playing havoc with her mind.

She was floundering for a rejection or a response of any kind when he suddenly pulled back, cocking his head.

He was listening to something, she realised.

Suddenly he was up and out of his chair, heading for the front door.

"Klaus? What's going on?" she asked frantically, following.

"Stay inside, Caroline. Ok? Do not come outside."

She nodded mechanically and he was gone. She hugged herself, wondering what she was supposed to do now. Clean up their dishes? Wait for him? Get some clothes on so she'd feel more ready for a fight?

She tried listening closely for any clues about what may be going on outside, but all she heard was the same thick silence that always surrounded her house, broken only by the natural sounds of critters and trees swaying in the breeze.

She was about to approach the glass pane, when Klaus walked back in. Judging by the fact that he wasn't speeding anywhere anymore, there must not have been any sort of a threat.

Good, now she could be angry.

"What the hell was that?" she screamed.

"I wanted to protect you, – "

"Oh, great, because I need protecting, right? It's not like I'm spending every freaking day with you learning to protect myself, or anything!"

He folded his arms. "From werewolves?"

She shook her head, confused. "What?"

He sighed. "Carl found werewolf prints in your backyard."

"Carl? Oh, right."

She'd already forgotten about the guy Klaus had placed outside her house for her protection. He sure was stealthy.

"Well wolves don't have to be invited inside," she continued arguing pettily.

"No, but I can kill them before they get that far."

Now she crossed her arms. "Did you find anything?"

He shook his head. "They weren't in any distinguishable pattern. I followed them all the way out to the woods before they disappeared. Whoever it was must have changed back before wiping away as much of their footsteps as possible."

She shivered. It creeped her out to know that some werewolf had been in her backyard, possibly watching her.

"Could they have been Tyler's?"

She shook her head. "Tyler hates turning, he wouldn't ever do it voluntarily."

He nodded as if that had been the answer he'd been expecting. "I have to go."

"Ok," she replied because there was nothing else to say.

He probably wanted to go and do all kinds of investigating. Their dinner and day together was over.

"Goodnight," she added.

"Thank you for dinner, Caroline."

He gazed at her for a while longer and she hated that she knew exactly what he was thinking. Carl's message had come at pretty much the worst possible time.

It could've been the moment that had changed everything.

She could've kissed him.

But now they'd both never know.

He nodded to himself some more before leaving.

* * *

After clearing the table and switching off the relevant lights, Caroline had climbed into bed and was now staring at her ceiling.

It was the second time that day that had been Klaus-less and she realised she missed him.

So much so that the desire to text him had her hand slowly inching towards her phone every few minutes, but she just couldn't allow herself to do that.

So instead she tapped her nails against the side of her bedside table, pondering everything that had happened today.

All the moments that could have easily snowballed into something far bigger.

For some reason those always seemed to happen when she was with Klaus. It was like he was a constant temptation to her.

She smiled. _The devil on her shoulder._

Then she groaned, turning onto her stomach. He _was _the devil, wasn't he? So why was she so damn attracted to him?

Yeah, ok, he had some positive defining characteristics. Most of which she'd announced to him in her crazy little speech earlier.

But so did half the guys she knew. She liked and enjoyed her time with Stefan and Matt too. Only they didn't cause butterflies in her stomach or that gnawing feeling that she was making a mistake or that undeniable compulsion just to pull him to her and put her lips to his and not give a damn what anybody thought because she was never going to let him go.

But Klaus wouldn't change for her, she knew that. He may be different with her, but that didn't mean that he was going to stop massacring villages or people's aunts to get what he wanted.

Except maybe… maybe she liked that about him too?

"No! No way. I am _not _attracted to the bad boy!"

Because saying things aloud always made them true.

"Urgh!" she screamed into her pillow.

This was frustrating. This was why she hated thinking about her and Klaus. She started with her list again.

They were supposed to be enemies but inexplicably they were friends.

She had a boyfriend whom she loved.

She couldn't be with Klaus. She couldn't accept who he was. He wasn't good for her and she couldn't be with the –

_Not a single thing._

_There is not a single thing about you that I don't admire or respect or think is incredibly endearing._

_Not a single thing. _

* * *

The Italian I wrote out in this chapter: a greeting and introduction. The chef asks how Klaus is and he says he's great, then he asks if he's enjoying his time here and he says of course. At the end Klaus thanks him and says it's very kind of him (in my mind in reply to the chef telling him to let him know personally if there's absolutely anything else he needs; you can interpret it as you wish).

Fun fact: in my mind the receptionist at the restaurant was flustered because he thought Klaus was hot.

There is another word in this chapter that Word has told me is not a word and I'm claiming poetic license.

I have found that you guys actually amazingly read my author's notes so here is my question: I promised and delivered three pure Klaroline parts (with a slight bit of Liz and Tyler I know, I'm sorry), so which was your favourite and why?

Lyrics are from _All of Me _by John Legend, suggested to me by the amazing _lovemyblt_.


	11. Chapter 11

So you know that tactic where you give someone worse news first so that the bad news doesn't seem too bad? I sort of did that to you guys only in reverse. Last chapter was really long and fluffy and this one is… not.

Many of you guys liked Liz (thanks for answering my question btw!) so here's some more of her :)

* * *

**Chapter 11: A Conspiring Deity**

_So I'll make sure to keep my distance_

_Say I love you when you're not listening_

_And how long can we keep this up?_

Caroline woke to somebody ruffling her hair. She groaned and opened her eyes to find her mother sitting on her bed in her sheriff's uniform.

"Can't you just go to work and leave your daughter to rest in peace?" Caroline groaned.

Liz smirked. "It's 11 am, my daughter needs to get out of bed."

"It's your daughter's holiday," Caroline reminded her.

"Hmmm," Liz agreed.

Caroline shifted onto her back only to find her mother looking at her curiously, clearly with something on her mind.

"What?"

"Is Tyler back?"

"Nope, why?"

Liz frowned. "The candles were used."

Caroline rolled her eyes. Damn Klaus for lighting their brand new candles.

"Can't I have a candlelit dinner by myself?"

"And two plates in the sink."

Yeah, there was no way to explain the dishes away.

She rubbed her eyes. "Klaus came over, we had leftovers."

Liz smirked knowingly at her daughter.

"Don't look at me like that! It was just dinner!"

"And candles," the sheriff teased.

"Don't you have a job to get to? You know, where you can do some real detective work?"

Liz laughed. "Ok, I'm going."

She stood up to leave but stopped in the doorway to look back at her daughter. "Don't forget to get out of bed."

She narrowly avoided a pillow missile.

* * *

Caroline was almost to their spot in the forest when she turned around in surprise, hearing a blur of speed behind her. She was on high alert after seeing another car in the Mikaelson driveway.

It was only Klaus though.

"Klaus!"

"Didn't mean to scare you, love."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I wasn't scared, I was just wondering whose – "

They got to the clearing and she wanted to punch someone when she saw who was waiting there for them.

"What are _you _doing here?" she asked before turning on Klaus. "What is _she _doing here?"

Klaus opened his mouth to respond but he couldn't beat his smirking sister.

"I'm here to do my favourite thing: insult you, of course," Rebekah gloated.

Caroline glared at the female Mikaelson before turning back to Klaus.

"What's going on?"

"Well my sister could have stated it more eloquently but that is the main idea."

"She's here to _insult_ me?" Caroline asked in disbelief.

Noting her rising anger, Klaus changed tactics.

"Not exactly. I want to work on your aggression. Rebekah's here to… invoke that."

Caroline ground her teeth together. She couldn't believe that he'd done this without at least bringing it up with her. It's not like they'd spent the entire freaking previous day together or anything!

"You know, normal people work on calming their tempers, not making them worse."

Klaus smiled a little at that as Caroline stepped towards Rebekah, taking a few deep breaths.

"Ok. I can do this," she said, mostly to herself.

"So, Caroline, how's your relationship going? You know, I haven't seen Tyler in a while," Rebekah started.

"I can't do this," Caroline announced, turning back to Klaus.

He sighed. "Aggression is integral to being a true vampire, Caroline."

"Ok, just because you and your insane siblings have issues, does _not _mean that that's what constitutes being a 'true vampire'!" she shot back.

"Who's supposed to be insulting who here?" Rebekah muttered under her breath.

Klaus glared at his sister before stepping closer to Caroline.

He knew that she was just nervous. He could barely spend extended measures of time with his sister when she was being especially snotty. Additionally, she'd begun with Caroline's relationship with Tyler which was definitely a soft spot at the moment.

"You're going about this all wrong, Caroline. Instead of controlling your anger, capitalise on it. Give her a taste of her own medicine or attack her." He smirked. "I could have brought any vampire here, but I brought an Original. Make it count," he winked.

Caroline huffed and folded her arms but she was beginning to come around. It seemed like she'd just been given a free license to stake Rebekah; how could she say no to that?

"Fine," she finally agreed.

Rebekah smiled gleefully. She clearly thought Caroline wouldn't be getting that far.

"So where is Tyler?"

"Where's Matt?" Caroline shot back.

Rebekah glared at the other blonde. "Clearly closer than Tyler or you wouldn't be avoiding my question."

"You mean the way you're avoiding mine?"

"Matt's visiting Elena," she said through gritted teeth.

"You mean his ex-girlfriend and only real true love?" Caroline asked in mock horror.

"No, I think you've got that backwards. He just couldn't love _you_."

Caroline gasped before speeding up to Rebekah to slap her. The Original was caught by surprise, not least by the extreme force of the blow.

Rebekah cracked her jaw.

"Well. That hit a nerve."

"And I just hit _you_. What's your point?"

Rebekah stared at Caroline interestedly before she smiled slyly and backed up a bit, pointedly looking at the space they were standing in. Caroline could just guess at the line of questioning the other woman was about to go for.

"What exactly do you and my brother get up to here every day?"

"Rebekah," Klaus warned, but both women ignored him.

"Why? Jealous?"

Rebekah's nose wrinkled in disgust. "I pity you for having to spend time with that man."

And Caroline didn't know why, but her heart broke a little for Klaus at that.

"If you apply the definition of 'man' fluidly, of course," Rebekah stated, walking around.

Klaus growled at his sister and Caroline realised that Rebekah had seemingly swapped from insulting her to insulting Klaus.

Was she just using the opportunity while her brother was present or was this a tactic? And why would it be a tactic? Caroline wasn't exactly about to attack Rebekah for hurting Klaus' feelings.

"Not least because I suspected my mother wanted him to be a girl. But that's just Nik for you, disappointing people since the womb," Rebekah snarled.

Caroline couldn't believe that Klaus was just standing there taking this. The way she knew him he'd be driving a dagger through his sister's heart by now. Instead he stood there with a grim but stoic look on his face.

And suddenly Caroline felt like it was up to her to defend him.

"That's going a bit far, Rebekah."

"You think I drove all the way out here to ask you about your stupid little boyfriend? You both deserve whatever I'm going to say, and the best part is that he _invited _me here," Rebekah spat.

Caroline looked back at Klaus and he was still just standing there, though he now seemed to have completely zoned out.

"Well he probably wouldn't have done that if he knew you were going to be such a total bitch about it," Caroline retorted.

"Oh I'm sure you know plenty about what my brother would or wouldn't do. Pray tell, which list are you on?"

Caroline went to land a punch but the Original was too fast for her.

Caroline only hit air as the two blondes effectively ended up swapping places.

"Except I think we both already know the answer to that one. Pity you're such a tease," Rebekah lamented mockingly.

"Urrgh!" Caroline groaned in annoyance as she tried to hit Rebekah again with the same result.

"Wow, you two really must have been doing something else out here if that's all my brother's managed to teach you."

Right. Her training.

Klaus' voice came back to her as he encouraged her to predict her opponent's every move. His voice had difficulty contending with the constant drone of 'Stake her, stake her, stake her' in her mind, but she supposed that was half the point of this exercise.

Rebekah seemed to rely heavily on speed. If she could predict where Rebekah would go, then she could feint her own movement and manage to hit her.

"What I'm trying to figure out is how to tell Tyler," Rebekah continued. "We used to be so close once upon a time," Rebekah finished, lingering on every word so that the innuendo was clear.

Caroline stared at the other blonde solidly.

"No, that doesn't anger you? Hmmm, perhaps I should go into Nik's dirty closet of ex-lovers, perhaps that'll rile up something."

"Rebekah, I'm warning you," Klaus growled, evidently having escaped from his reverie.

"Oh come on, Nik. Isn't it only fair that Caroline knows about her competition?"

Caroline's plan worked.

And instead of a punch, she employed the powerful shove that Mia had once used on her.

Rebekah stood up shakily, pushing against the tree to pull herself up as she straightened her clothing.

"You're right, they're all dead anyhow," Rebekah continued as if nothing had happened. "Kind of ominous for you though, isn't it?"

Caroline flashed to behind Rebekah, pulling her by the hair then pushing her down to the ground roughly. She didn't have time to reach for a branch before Rebekah was up again.

"The hair, really? That must have struck a chord." She cocked her head. "Thought about getting into my brother's pants lately, Caroline?"

Two thoughts flickered through Caroline's mind. The first was a realisation that Klaus' one rule must have been that Rebekah couldn't lay a hand on Caroline; no way would Rebekah not have done so by now if not. The second was that she really wished she'd brought along her brand new gifted dagger.

Caroline flashed to behind Rebekah. She needed the Original's back to be facing the tree.

Sure enough, Rebekah turned around.

"I mean what exactly is the allure? Is it the accent, the way he showers you with gifts or his penchant for massacres? And what exactly does that make you, shallow or pathological?"

Her last word was uttered with her last breath as Caroline shoved a branch right through her chest cavity. Caroline had stealthily picked it up from the ground when Rebekah had been distracted talking about Klaus' pants.

"I'm not sure, but it makes you temporarily _dead_," Caroline replied as the dark veins began to spider all over Rebekah's face and hands.

"I'm done here," she told Klaus, before speeding away.

* * *

Caroline walked into the Grill with one mission and one mission only: find her boyfriend. And if that didn't work out, well then at least they stocked alcohol here.

Tyler had sent her a vague text this morning with all of 6 words: 'I'll be back in town later'. Considering she hadn't heard from him since and his first stop evidently hadn't been her house, she thought she'd come looking for him. She'd already tried his house and definitely planned on giving up if he wasn't here.

Her eyes scanned the place thoroughly and though she came up with zero matches for guys with tons of grovelling in their very near future, she did spot a familiar strawberry blonde.

"Mia!" she called, waving over at the woman before making her way to her table.

Mia grinned up at her. "Caroline, hello! What are you doing here?" she asked, smiling warmly as she gestured to the seat opposite her.

Caroline sighed, sitting. "Looking for my boyfriend."

"Ah, the boyfriend," Mia replied with a small indecipherable smile. "You should try phoning him," she said, pulling her own phone out of her pocket and checking for messages. "You know, you can't truly appreciate a device like this unless you've ridden for five consecutive hours in a horse-drawn carriage in order to deliver a simple message."

Caroline frowned, first because she couldn't imagine having to do something like that, then because she realised she couldn't imagine Mia doing it either.

"You don't strike me as the kind of person who would be delivering anybody's messages," she articulated.

Mia grinned. "I'm not." She shook her head, smiling, as she seemed to recall a fond memory. "I was delivering a fake message. Two rich men both wanted a piece of land. I am sure they could have settled it amiably. But I sowed the seed of doubt so that they would fight each other to the death for it. So _I _could have the land."

Caroline raised an eyebrow. "Why didn't you just kill them yourself?"

Mia seemed pleased with Caroline's question. "Because for some reason murder is never the first solution humans think of."

Caroline's eyes widened. "You did that when you were _human_?"

Mia laughed at Caroline's surprise. "Yes. You know, women weren't always as frail as they try to make out in the history books these days."

Caroline shook her head in amusement. "Have you ever done anything that wasn't completely badass?"

Mia erupted in a full-body laugh and Caroline watched, knowing she hadn't been kidding in the least.

After Mia's laughing came to an end, Caroline pulled out her own phone and glanced at it worriedly. No messages.

"I left messages; I'm waiting for him to call back," Caroline explained.

Mia nodded. "Yes, that is the advantage about doing it in person, isn't it? The person on the other end couldn't avoid you." She thought for a moment. "At least, they knew better than to try that with me."

Caroline stared at Mia thoughtfully. "I wish I could be like you," she said, sighing.

Mia frowned in genuine shock. "Why could you possibly want something like that?"

"No guy would ever dare to ignore your messages."

Mia stared back at her wisely. "Yes, but you have accomplished things I can only dream of."

Caroline frowned, but knowing Mia probably meant something about Klaus, she didn't question it. Instead, she turned away, surveying the restaurant purposefully.

"Perhaps you should try again," Mia offered.

"I have. Like, ten times," Caroline groaned.

"Ten times?" Mia asked with a raised brow.

"Yeah?" Caroline answered hesitantly, sensing that Mia was disappointed by this information.

But she smiled. "Caroline, no man is worth more than two consecutive messages." She considered for a second. "Three, if it's an emergency. If you really want to be a little more like me, that's your first tip right there. Now I'm going to go find us some drinks," she added, winking as she stood up to make her way to the bar.

* * *

Caroline had checked her phone four more times by the time Mia returned with two whiskeys.

"Thanks, I could use that," Caroline said, taking her tumbler.

Mia grinned as she sat. "Seems you've had a rough day."

Caroline rolled her eyes in exasperated agreement. "You have _no_ idea."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"It's just Klaus and his stupid training sessions," Caroline complained as she took a gulp of her drink and gratefully felt the alcohol burn its way down her throat.

Mia raised an eyebrow. "What happened?"

"He brought his crazy sister in to insult me under the guise of making me more aggressive!"

"Ah, Rebekah," Mia smiled. "Not the easiest person in the world to get along with."

"You know her?"

Mia nodded. "I've known the Mikaelsons for some time now. I could never really tell if Rebekah liked me or not."

"That's because she doesn't like _anybody_," Caroline groaned.

"We've had good times and bad," Mia added, shrugging.

Caroline looked at the other woman interestedly. "So you're like a 'friend of the family', huh?"

"You could say that. Though Klaus would never agree," she smirked. "He's very possessive." She cocked her head. "Which, I suppose, is why I've had disagreements with Rebekah in the past. That family has a strange attitude toward their siblings' lovers."

Caroline frowned at how weird that sounded but she supposed Mia had a point. Klaus had once forced Rebekah into choosing between him and Stefan, Klaus still wanted to kill Katherine, and Rebekah hated Katherine and Caroline.

Though she supposed she hardly counted as a lover.

"Weird," Caroline laughed and Mia joined in.

"Not that I was Klaus' lover, of course," Mia hastened to add, "which accounts for the times Rebekah and I have gotten along," she smirked.

Caroline smiled. There was a time when the uncertainty Mia had left there for a moment would have given her pause, but Klaus had already assured her that nothing had happened between him and Mia and she trusted him.

"You know I was surprised to see you here, I thought you left," Caroline mused.

"Elijah convinced me to stay," Mia said, but Caroline noticed the small smile that accompanied it.

"You have a terrible pokerface," she responded, grinning.

Mia laughed lightly. "Ok, you caught me. I may or may not have found a very cute guy in town."

Caroline smiled before tending to her drink again. She was glad Mia was having fun – she just hoped the poor guy didn't end up dead. Not that she was going to say anything about that to Mia. She had the distinct feeling that she had no place telling Mia to do anything.

She did have something else on her mind though. "Hey Mia, could I ask you something?"

Mia looked up smiling. "Of course."

She wasn't quite sure how to phrase it so she just took a breath as she scrunched up her face.

"You told me you're in love with Klaus. But you seem so calm about… everything," she said, gesturing indistinctly with her hands.

Mia nodded slowly. "I am. But I like you and…" she sighed. "This will probably sound clichéd, but after three hundred years you realise a few things."

Mia frowned as she looked down at the dark wood of the table.

"I realised that love means that the only thing you want more than that person, is for them to be truly happy."

* * *

Caroline was lying on top of her bed staring down at her shoes as Mia's words ran through her mind.

She kept thinking about her and Tyler.

How he wouldn't stay for Christmas no matter how much it meant to her.

How much she'd wanted him to stay even though he'd made it clear how much it would hurt him if he did.

… And how Klaus had given up on his revenge so that Tyler could return home to her.

She sighed deeply. She hated comparing the two men. Especially when the wrong one was constantly in the lead.

"That's not a happy sigh," Liz stated, walking into her daughter's bedroom.

"That's because I'm depressed," Caroline replied dramatically.

Liz laughed. "Who's got you depressed?"

"Life, the universe, a conspiring deity," Caroline theorised.

Liz laughed again and sat down beside her daughter. She pushed some hair out of her daughter's face before frowning. She looked genuinely upset.

"What's wrong, baby?"

Caroline placed a hand over her eyes. "I hate my life."

Liz looked at her daughter seriously and sighed. "Honey, I know there are things in your life that you might think I wouldn't understand and you're probably right. But for everything else I can give you advice. And as for the vampire stuff, well, I can still listen."

Caroline sighed and removed her hand. "Ok. What if someone older than you, and I'm talking like vampire years older here, told you something about the world or the way life works or just that you're kind of making a mistake… I mean, how do you deal with that? Just take their word for it?"

Liz's crossed her legs, frowning down at her daughter as she mulled over the question.

"I think that age is wisdom. And when you've lived a couple of… hundred… years, you probably know one or two things about life."

Liz leaned backwards, thinking about what she was saying. "And you should probably listen to that wisdom."

"You seem like you're talking about something specific," Caroline observed.

Liz smiled. "My granddad told me that your father was going to break my heart."

"Really?" Caroline asked in disbelief.

Liz nodded amusedly. "And you know what, he turned out to be right. But I loved Bill and I wouldn't trade my time with him for anything. Especially because of the amazing woman we made together," her mother winked and Caroline smiled.

"What I'm saying is that you probably _should _listen to those wise people and your brain will try to, but your body will never really follow it." She smiled softly at her beautiful blond daughter. "Some life experiences have to be _experiences_."

Caroline smiled up at her mother. She was right.

Right now her and Tyler made sense to her head and her heart. Well… maybe her head more than her heart but that wasn't the point. The point was that Klaus was a risk that she just wasn't ready to take.

But if she was going to commit to Tyler, then it would have to be 100%. She'd been flirting with Klaus and the idea of them together for longer than was right.

"Thanks Mom."

"I just hoped I helped."

"You did," Caroline assured her. She shifted, taking another look at her mother. "Hey, are you going somewhere?"

Liz looked down at the sparkly top she wore over her jeans.

"June invited me for dinner," Liz named one of the women on the anti-vampire council. "Unless you want me to stay."

"No!" Caroline hastily said, thinking of Klaus. "Go, Mom. Have fun."

* * *

"You may as well get a key," Caroline noted sarcastically as she let Klaus in.

"I'm not averse to the idea," he replied.

She smiled and led him to the kitchen. "I was just making hot chocolate; want some?"

"Why not?"

She pulled out another cup before turning back to the stove to whisk the milk mixture.

"Where's your mother?"

"Dinner with a friend," she replied succinctly.

How was she supposed to undo everything that had happened between them now? It was more than just kissing or almost-kissing. It went deeper than that.

She'd once told Klaus that they'd crossed the bridge of friendship a long time ago. Except now that she wanted to turn back it felt like maybe that metaphorical bridge had actually been a chasm.

She wasn't looking forward to climbing her way out of it.

"New man in her life?" Klaus asked, sounding genuinely interested.

Caroline snorted. "No way. Some Founder's Council lady."

"I didn't realise your mother was on close terms with them."

"Well, it's a new Council and June's turned out to be one of the less crazy ones."

"Hmmm," he hummed acknowledgement. "They're doing some sort of ladies' tea this week, I believe."

"Huh," she replied awkwardly.

Trust Klaus to know about all the events in town.

Klaus stared at Caroline's back curiously. She was behaving strangely. Perhaps she was more upset with him about this afternoon than he had foreseen she would be.

Caroline stiffened as she felt Klaus draw nearer behind her.

He wasn't even out of line; just two nights ago she'd laid her head backwards on his chest as they stood in these same positions. And boy did she want to do exactly the same right now.

_No, bad Caroline!_

She darted out from between him and the stove to retrieve the cups. Catching his frown, she drew a nervous breath. Was she supposed to address it, and if so, how?

'I know there isn't really anything between us but what was between us can't happen anymore because I've decided to re-commit to my boyfriend'?

She ground her teeth together as she poured the thick hot liquid into both cups before handing one over to him.

She was about to head to the dining room when she remembered what had almost happened the last time they'd been in there. She made a sudden sharp turn into the lounge instead and Klaus followed her, still frowning.

"So," she started, as she dropped down on an armchair.

Klaus sat on the sofa, also at a loss as to how to begin the conversation.

She looked into her cup and then back up at him. "Are you ok?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Me?"

"Yeah, the things Rebekah said this afternoon were… pretty scathing."

"I'm sorry about that."

"You got the worst of it," Caroline pointed out.

He sighed heavily. "You were right, I did underestimate the amount of malice my sister had pent up. It was a mistake asking her to come."

Caroline nodded thoughtfully. "How did you get her to come, anyway?"

"I explained the basics of what we were doing and what her part would be. She muttered something along the lines of 'Serves her right for what she said to Matt' and then agreed."

"Ah, it all makes way more sense now," Caroline almost laughed.

Since Matt had forgiven her, she'd put the two out of her mind. But she should've expected that the female Mikaelson would still have a hatchet to bury with her.

"I'm guessing I didn't make things much better," she joked.

"She wasn't happy about being staked, no," Klaus said, holding back a smile.

"Your sister is _never_ going to like me," Caroline observed.

"That's irrelevant. You did a good job today."

Caroline raised an eyebrow. "I left after ten minutes."

"You staked an Original, before leaving without permission because you were that angry. I feel you grasped the concept of the lesson."

"So you're saying that next time I can leave early and it'll count as a success?"

Klaus glared at her and she laughed.

She felt strangely happy about the fact that he wasn't mad, but rather proud of her. Maybe aggression wasn't such a bad thing after all. It sure had felt good this afternoon.

"Tyler's back," she suddenly blurted without meaning to.

He looked at her in surprise. "That's news to me." He shifted. "You must be overjoyed."

"I am."

She was lying, that's what she was.

He nodded slowly. "I can't say I share the sentiment."

Her heart froze. _Please don't say he's going to make some grand announcement again._ She could not deal with that right now.

"It means my vampires are slacking," he finished.

She breathed in relief but a lump that felt a lot like disappointment formed in her stomach.

"Vampire spies, you just can't trust 'em," she joked, but her voice was weak.

"Yes, well, I should leave before your mother returns."

She stared at him for a few seconds then, realising that he was waiting for some sort of response, she nodded briefly.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Caroline."

She nodded again and then he was gone.

She took a second long sip of her hot chocolate, frowning deeply as she thought, before standing up to collect Klaus' cup. She wondered how much he'd managed to finish.

Picking it up from the coffee table, she stared at it in surprise.

It was empty.

* * *

You may find the way I ended this chapter a bit strange. I thought it was a nice parallel to Tyler not drinking his coffee. Klaus would never not drink something Caroline made him! Haha.

Sorry for the shorter chapter (and very little Klaroline, wasn't there?!). These things happen.

This will also be one of the last times I write out one of the training sessions, simply because more important things are happening. However they definitely keep happening every day.

Curious to know what y'all thought of the Caroline/Rebekah scene (and maybe even Caroline/Mia?). But yeah, seems like Caroline is fully back on the Forwood train! But for how long? Leave me reviews, make my day, I'll update and you'll see J

Lyrics are from _Distance _by _Christina Perri_.

Thanks for reading, I love you.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: The id**

_So let's go out_

_Just the two of us_

_People think that we're lovers_

_By the way that we touch_

Caroline pulled up to the Salvatore boarding house with a sigh. Halfway through her session with Klaus, her phone had gone off. It had been Elena informing her that they were all meeting up in an hour.

Would it have killed Elena to give her more of a warning?

Now she was showing up to the spontaneously planned meeting all sweaty and damnit, mostly she just didn't want to talk about the whole massacre thing.

Elena hadn't come out and said that it was about that, but there wasn't exactly anything else it could be.

And Tyler would be here too, which she wasn't sure whether she was happy about or not.

He'd popped in that morning as if nothing was the matter.

_"Hey, Gorgeous."_

_"Try Annoyed," she'd sniped, all but slamming the door in his face._

_"I'm sorry about yesterday."_

_She'd raised an eyebrow, unable to believe that that was really all he was going to say._

_"Sorry? That's really all you have? Sorry?"_

_He'd smiled and started approaching her. "I have more…"_

_"No and you know what, forget yesterday! What about 'Not sure yet. Listen I gotta go'," she said, imitating his voice and words from the previous day._

_He'd sighed. "I'm here now and I love you and I'm sorry."_

_She'd sighed too, because what could she really do? She'd already made the decision to commit to him fully and that wasn't going to work if she was mad at him. And yeah, she had all the right in the world to be, but right now she needed him. He grounded her. She wasn't sure where exactly, but she knew it was somewhere a good way from Klaus._

_And just like that she'd fallen into his embrace._

Now Tyler was meeting her here in an effort to, she guessed, display some solidarity. It was a bit weird considering he was never usually a part of their meet-ups. And she could pretend that she had no idea why that was, but the memory of being held hostage by Tyler's hybrids in a grungy underground tunnel was still fresh enough in her mind.

Seeing his truck pull up in her side view mirror, she climbed out of her car to meet him on the Salvatore porch.

"You ok?" he asked, placing a kiss on her forehead.

"Hmm-hmm," she replied. "Just would prefer not being here."

"You and me both," Tyler agreed, before loping an arm around her. "But I'm right here with you so let's do this and then we can get out of here, ok?"

"Yeah," she smiled up at him before pushing open the door.

"You're late," Damon said as soon as they walked in.

"I was busy," Caroline retorted, already riled up. The elder Salvatore had a way of doing that to her.

"Hey, Caroline," Elena greeted. "It's fine, don't worry. Hey, Tyler," she added, looking slightly surprised that he was even there.

The two girls shared a quick look before Elena crossed the room to share a sofa with Stefan.

"Thought you might be skipping the whole thing because you have inside info," Damon theorised.

"My mom didn't tell me anything, Damon," Caroline replied, annoyed.

"Hello, gang," a British accent suddenly came from the doorway.

Caroline and Tyler turned to find Klaus standing there looking incredibly smug.

That was until his eyes landed on the two of them – Tyler holding Caroline – and he passed them swiftly, barely withholding a snarl.

Damon's mood change wasn't much different.

"Hey Stefan, remember when we signed the house over to Elena so we could control which vampires came into our house? We have got to do something like that again."

For his part, Stefan only shrugged at his brother before turning to Klaus. "What are you doing here, Klaus?"

"What we all are, mate: getting an update on the situation. Where's the doppelganger?" Klaus asked suddenly, his eyes sliding past Elena and to Damon.

"Katherine's been restricted to the first floor since she has no business here. You're more than welcome to join her."

Klaus smirked. "You're sending _me_ to Katerina? I imagine my brother will be quite delighted with the excellent job you're doing of protecting his fancy."

Damon rolled his eyes but clearly seemed to be second-guessing his suggestion. Elijah may have been the more stable brother but it didn't make him any less of a threat.

Caroline cleared her throat. "Damon, could we get on with it?"

"Good idea, Blondie." He began pacing. "Liz got back to me this morning with the results. What with all the excavating and amount of corpses, it took a while. But she says there were sixty-two bodies in total."

Caroline felt sick trying to imagine someone killing all those people and vandalising their bodies the way they had.

"They ran the prints. Turns out half were from Cleveland and half from Chicago."

"Why would anyone go to all that trouble?" Stefan asked dubiously.

"Yeah, why not just kill and leave them there?" Elena agreed.

"Because they're trying to send us a message. Exactly half from each place? That can't be a coincidence. Whoever this is is trying to screw with one or all of us."

They were all silent for a moment as they processed Damon's words. This wasn't looking good.

"Well maybe it's one of Katherine's enemies. That's why she's living here with you guys, isn't it? So you'll protect her?" Caroline suggested.

Elena rolled her eyes and Caroline almost laughed. She knew her best friend was less than ecstatic about their house guest.

Stefan sighed. "I'll talk to her; see if she can give us some names."

Damon nodded. "Tyler, you got any wolf problems we might need to know about?"

Tyler seemed surprised to be addressed but simply shook his head. "No."

Caroline frowned. Tyler had to be doing _something _wherever he kept going. He may not want to tell her, but if it was endangering the lives of their friends then he should say something.

But he didn't say anything else and Caroline didn't think it was her place to say anything either. She'd discuss it with him later. Maybe whatever he was doing really didn't pose them any danger.

"What about you, Klaus?"

"Damon, I'm one thousand years old. Compiling a list of all the people who hate me would take at least half as long."

So apparently Klaus wasn't planning on telling them about the wolf prints in her backyard. Great, now both guys were keeping secrets.

Damon looked unimpressed. "Let us know how that goes," he replied mockingly.

Nobody said anything for a few seconds so Caroline cleared her throat.

"Is that it? Can I go to the bathroom?"

"Sure, Care, you know where it is, right?" Elena replied kindly.

Caroline nodded and beelined her way upstairs. This whole situation made her stomach turn.

She stared at herself in the mirror once she'd made her way to the bathroom. She looked exactly like you'd expect someone to look after spending two and a half hours fighting an Original: terrible.

She began to splash cold water on her face, hoping that it would at least make her look refreshed, if not ease the extreme nausea she felt.

"Getting a little queasy?" a familiar voice snotty asked from the doorway.

Caroline sighed and turned off the faucet. "Katherine."

"I couldn't help but overhear. Do a few stiffs really upset you that much?"

"Overhear? You mean you were leaning over the bannister, right? Speaking of which, how _is _humanity treating you?" she asked rhetorically as she made her way out of the bathroom, deliberately knocking against Katherine's shoulder in the process.

She was about to exit Stefan's bedroom when she saw Klaus there waiting for her, leaning against the doorway.

She stopped cold.

"Are you alright?" Klaus asked.

She was about to answer when Katherine's annoying voice rang out again.

"Wow Caroline, I saw Tyler but I didn't know you brought _both_ your boyfriends."

"Shut up!" Caroline yelled, turning back to the smug brunette.

She was leaning against Stefan's wardrobe and smirking.

"Katerina, always a pleasure," Klaus greeted sarcastically.

"Klaus. Your brother sends his greetings," she replied.

It was a clear reminder that she was off limits to him.

And Klaus must have been trying to stay on good terms with Elijah because to Caroline's surprise he didn't move, only setting his jaw in annoyance.

"I just want to get out of here," Caroline responded to Klaus' original question to her.

But it seemed Katherine had grown bored of her usual company because she seemed desperate not to miss the opportunity to mock Caroline.

"You know, I can tell you how he is in bed if you wanna know," she confided, though the man stood right there.

Caroline stared at Klaus solidly for a few seconds. The expectation in his eyes was so clear that he may as well have said it.

Caroline turned around and sped right up to Katherine. The brunette blinked before laughing snidely.

"Was that supposed to scare me?" She grinned evilly. "You know, I'd heard you were Klaus' new protégé. I mean I didn't believe it, obviously, but now I see he's just half-assing it so he has more material for all the dirty things he does to you in his mind."

Caroline swiftly lifted Katherine by the throat before throwing her down. She might have cracked a few of the human's bones. It didn't bother her.

She bent down to taunt the brunette.

"Does this seem half-assed?" she whispered into Katherine's ear.

"No, but definitely more material. I mean girl fight? Come on," she managed to utter as Caroline's hand constricted her windpipe.

Caroline glared at the other woman before holding up her free hand and sticking it into Katherine's rib cage. It was wet and sticky. She could feel Katherine's heart thumping against her hand.

Caroline had to give it to the brunette though: she must have been enduring an excruciating amount of pain, but her snarky facial expression never slid.

"What exactly do you think you're going to do? I can't die," Katherine spat, her words gargling as blood rose in her throat.

"No, you can't. Not until you're all frail, wrinkly and grey-haired," Caroline listed gleefully as she tossed her own perfectly preserved hair over her shoulder.

"I made you what you are," Katherine whispered, blood spouting from her mouth and reddening her snarling lips.

"You're right," Caroline sneered back. "And now I'm going to return the favour," she said, before snapping her neck.

"No!" someone screamed from behind her and she turned to find Tyler standing beside Klaus, looking at her as if she were insane.

The blond beside him simply smirked as he surveyed the situation before him proudly. Caroline was glorious.

"Are you crazy?" Tyler shouted.

Suddenly he was beside his girlfriend, pulling roughly at her elbow.

"Easy there, mate," Klaus warned, standing up straighter.

"No you, _you _stay out of this!" Tyler yelled, before speeding away and out of the Salvatore mansion with her.

"Tyler, what is wrong with you?" she finally managed to say once they were on the grass outside.

"What's wrong with _me_?" Tyler screamed, laughing humourlessly. "_You're_ the one who's letting him turn you into… this," he finished, gesturing towards her bloody hand.

She'd never seen him look at her with such disgust before.

"This is about Klaus," Caroline stated, hanging her head.

It was strange how unstoppable she felt with her hand inside a woman's chest but before Tyler she was that teenaged girl all over again, seeking affirmation and acceptance.

Incredibility replaced the disgust in his eyes.

"You don't even see it. He's turned you into some kind of monster who terrorises innocent humans and you don't even _see _it!"

Caroline's blood began to boil. "_Innocent human_? Katherine? You mean the woman who killed me, right?"

"That doesn't matter. She's human now, Caroline. There's a line. You used to know that."

She couldn't believe that he was taking Katherine's side.

Katherine _freaking_ Pierce's side.

She raised a brow testily. "Oh, did I?"

"The old Caroline, yeah. The one who didn't stuff her hands into people's chests because they were being mouthy, or didn't dress like… that!"

"Oh, so now the way I dress is Klaus' fault too?"

He folded his arms resolutely. "I liked the old Caroline."

Caroline's eyes narrowed. Up until now she'd been standing still as she took whatever he threw at her.

But now it was her turn.

She slowly began nearing him with narrowed eyes. "Of course you did. I don't see why you wouldn't. _I_ would have liked her if I were you. She let you go off to god-knows-where, left you endless voicemails that you never returned but patiently waited for you to come back home. She went off to college without you when you, _once again_, went off to god-knows-where while she patiently waited for you to pick up her Skype calls. And she didn't ask questions when you disappeared for days at a time when she came back home – the first time you could be together properly in forever. So yeah, that Caroline sounds like a riot. I don't blame you, I quite liked her shoes. But you know what? _That Caroline isn't here right now_," she finished, snarling.

They were practically chest to chest and the fear in his eyes was obvious.

She liked it.

He opened his mouth to speak when his eyes shifted to something above her shoulder. Annoyed, she considered grabbing his face and forcing his attention back to her.

Before she could he was looking back at her with his mouth in a straight line. Then, just like that, he was gone.

Caroline blinked, surprised that he would leave like that.

She turned around to see what Tyler had noticed and didn't know why she was surprised.

Klaus.

There was a sparkle in his eyes that she could see even from where he stood on the porch. Her heart immediately sped because that was pride and earning Klaus' pride never stopped making her feel like she was finally, _finally, _doing something right.

That someone appreciated her.

"You heard all that, huh?" she said, breaking the awkward moment of silence and staring.

"Everyone heard all that," Klaus replied apologetically, stepping down toward her.

Caroline bit her lip. "Yeah, I guess a house full of vampires isn't exactly the best place to have a fight with your boyfriend outside of."

Though it made her wonder where Stefan and Elena were. Wasn't this the time best friends came on duty?

Caroline could use somebody to help her sort out her emotions. She felt weird and powerful but also crappy and empty.

Klaus approached her with his hands behind his back. Reaching into his jacket pocket as he approached her, he pulled out a piece of white fabric.

"Handkerchief?" he offered.

A small smile crossed her lips as she took it from him to wipe her hand.

The silence combined with the fact that she'd become so used to confiding in Klaus meant it tumbled out naturally.

"I just can't believe that he's taking her side! It's _Katherine, _for god's sake."

He nodded understandingly before taking the handkerchief back from her. He didn't let go of her hand.

"You seem like you could blow off some steam."

* * *

Caroline rounded her shoulders, sticking a hand into the shower to check if the water was hot yet.

She groaned when she heard the doorbell go.

Seriously?

Sighing, she turned the tap off before heading to the door, pulling her gown closer.

"Elena!" she smiled in surprise.

"Hey, Caroline. Can I come in?"

"Sure!"

"Looks like I caught you at a bad time," Elena laughed, regarding Caroline's bath robe.

"It's ok, what's up?"

Elena shrugged. "I was just wondering if you were ok. Things got a little weird earlier."

Caroline pulled a face. "I'm sorry you had to hear that. Tyler overreacted."

"To you killing Katherine? I can't say it didn't surprise me too."

Caroline opened her mouth to defend herself but Elena wasn't done.

"I mean, don't get me wrong, you know how much I hate her and after spending almost two weeks in a house with her, having to listen to her ranting and _constant_ stream of insults, I practically want to bow down at your feet. It's just… it's just that you've never done anything like that before."

Caroline examined her nails awkwardly. "Klaus has been working on my aggression. He wants me to tap into being a true vampire, or whatever," Caroline rolled her eyes, trying to laugh it off.

But Elena stilled.

"Klaus."

Caroline cleared her throat and began re-arranging knick-knacks on a side table.

"Yeah, Klaus."

"So Klaus made you do that…"

"He didn't _make _me do anything, Elena."

"…And then you left with him?"

Caroline rolled her eyes again, sighing, as she turned back to her best friend.

"I left with him because I needed something to punch, that's it."

A small smile formed on Elena's face and Caroline's heart lifted in joy. She was getting through to her.

"Are you sure that's all it was?"

"Yeah," Caroline said, and then because she wanted to believe it too: "_Yeah_."

That was better.

"Get in some good hits?" Elena asked, smirking gleefully.

"_Plenty_," she replied, giggling.

Elena grinned. "Ok. I just wanted to make sure that you were fine."

"I am_. _Despite the fact that I may have an idiot for a boyfriend."

Elena's eyebrows knitted together again. "He's not that far off base." Then, because Caroline was glaring at her: "All I'm saying is that you don't have to do something just because Klaus says you have to. You have a line. Remember that."

"Of course I will, come on! This is _me _we're talking about," she said, nudging Elena.

She went in for a hug and smiled broadly as she embraced her best friend. It felt good.

Pulling away, she grinned excitedly.

"So what do you say we leave the guys at home tonight and go do something?"

Elena groaned. "I'd love to but I have to pack."

Caroline frowned. "Pack? Why?"

"It's Damon's birthday on Wednesday and the only thing he wants is to go to some karaoke place in Ohio," Elena replied, shrugging.

"There's a crazy psycho killer on the loose and Damon wants to go to a _karaoke_ bar to celebrate his _birthday_?" Caroline asked in disbelief.

Elena laughed. "I thought the same. I think 'karaoke' may be code for 'following up a lead' though. Cleveland _is_ in Ohio."

"Yeah, Damon-code," Caroline muttered. "When will you be back?"

Elena shrugged again. "I'm not sure. I guess once Damon's sung his heart out," she replied and they both started giggling.

* * *

Caroline pulled on her pumps before taking one last look in the mirror.

After the shower she'd decided that she was sick of staying in every night just because her boyfriend wasn't here. And now he was but he was mad at her and she was mad at him. Whatever. She was going out tonight.

She had a place in mind that wasn't too far from Mystic Falls; somewhere she could just relax and just have a good time.

Satisfied with her high-waisted black jumpsuit and sequined sweater vest, she grabbed her keys and made her way to the car.

It was a forty minute drive but it helped to clear her mind so that when Caroline walked into the jazz club she was already in a way better mood.

She grabbed a seat on one of the plush sofas, noting that the party only just seemed to be getting started. The band was still setting up and there was a steady stream of people filing in and ordering drinks.

As she people-watched, she absently wondered how many drinks she'd be getting for free tonight. The place was sophisticated enough with its black walls, wood floors and elegant sofas, but that didn't mean that it didn't have its share of guys trying to get lucky. Then again, what place didn't?

She almost laughed at the predictability when a Cosmopolitan she hadn't ordered got delivered to her table. A dark-haired man in sunglasses across the room inclined his head and she smiled again before nodding gratefully.

Thankfully the music started up, a welcome distraction so she didn't have to share eye contact with the guy any longer. Or lense contact anyway; what kind of a douchebag wore their sunglasses inside?

Caroline's fingers began thrumming against her leg as the jazz slowed and sped up time all at once. All the day's worries seemed to seep away as the music filled her with bubbles and smiles.

When her foot started tapping, she knew she had to dance. Feeling confident with the dimmed lighting, she made her way to the not-overcrowded dancefloor. Or what served as a makeshift dancefloor, anyway. In reality it was just an empty wooden floor space in front of the band.

As soon as her heel hit the wood some guy caught her hand, smiling amiably.

_What the hell._

The rhythm of the jazz picked up and she laughed as she danced with the mysterious man.

When the song came to a lull, he said loudly in her ear: "I'm Tom!"

She grinned back. "Hi, Tom!"

After a few seconds, when it became clear that she didn't plan on reciprocating with her own name, he leaned forward again.

"You're hot!"

"I know, I could use a drink!" she replied, biting the inside of her cheek to keep from giggling.

She knew that wasn't what he'd meant. But he smiled politely, nodding, and went off, presumably to the bar. Caroline folded her arms. Now she had no one to dance with and the song was picking up again.

"You look lonely!"

It was Sunglasses Guy. Apparently he'd just been biding his time.

She shrugged, pulling a sad face. "That's because I have no drink!" she shouted back.

He nodded understandingly and grinned before heading off to the bar also. Caroline laughed. This was going well.

She threaded her way through the crowd so that neither of the guys could find her again, and danced by herself for a bit.

It was crazy and fun and she was all caught up in it when she suddenly noticed a very familiar torso and Henley dancing in front of her.

She almost didn't want to look, knowing she wouldn't be able to hide her smile that reached from ear to ear.

But her head shot up and sure enough it was him.

"Fancy a drink, love?" he whispered, leaning into her ear, even though they both knew very well that it wasn't necessary.

"Are you offering?" she shot back his line from the other night.

His brow shot up but he smirked. "Always."

She grinned and grabbed him by the wrist before pulling him in the direction she'd seen the other two guys go. Hopefully they'd gone by now.

"Pineapple daiquiri," she told the bartender.

"Make it two, mate," Klaus added.

"Seriously?"

He shrugged, smiling. "Why not?"

Caroline shook her head, smiling. She loved that he was always up for anything.

She also loved that it was far quieter at the bar area. But instead of starting a conversation, she turned back to face the band and the dancing crowd.

Her head swayed with the still-hypnotic music.

"I was surprised to find you here," Klaus started.

"How _did _you find me?"

"You weren't home, so I called Carl."

"Carl follows me?" she asked in disbelief.

"Now what would be the point of protecting you if he didn't?"

She nodded. That made sense, though she hadn't given it much thought before.

"I didn't know you liked jazz," Klaus continued as their drinks arrived.

"I love it," Caroline replied, still watching the people. "And I love it here."

She turned back to Klaus and noticed him smiling appreciatively.

That was when she noticed something else behind him.

"That girl over there is totally checking you out," she informed him.

Klaus raised a brow, turning to look. Sure enough a brunette in tiny shorts and a tinier top was not being too subtle about the fact that she was undressing the Original with her eyes.

He smirked. "I'll be right back."

"Hmm-hmm," she replied, taking a sip of her drink.

She really didn't want to look, but she couldn't help it. She turned her head just the slightest bit so that from the corner of her eye she could see Klaus go up to the girl.

Klaus said something and the girl nodded excitedly – Caroline rolled her eyes – before following him out.

Caroline sighed as she continued sipping, before beginning to sway with the music again. She wanted to dance some more.

Klaus was back two minutes later, looking pleased with himself and with the brunette nowhere in sight.

"You have some Trashy Girl on your face," Caroline griped.

He grinned and licked the spot of blood from his lip before sitting back down.

"I hope she's still alive."

"Saw her off into a cab myself, love."

"Got her home safe, what a gentleman."

Klaus smiled at the malice in her voice but didn't say anything as he sipped on his drink. It was far sweeter than he liked his alcohol.

"Could I ask you something?"

"You can always ask," she teased, "but I can't promise an answer."

He smiled. "Why did you come here tonight?"

She looked at him thoughtfully for a few seconds before taking another sip. Taking a deep breath, she turned back to face him.

"I wanted to come out and have fun and forget about everything and just… have fun," she finished lamely, but it was the truth.

She was so sick of thinking about and missing Tyler.

She was so sick of thinking about the confusion in her brain about her and Klaus.

She just wanted to have _fun_.

"And are you having it? Fun?"

"I was," she replied, a smile inching its way back to her face.

He smirked. "You want to dance?"

She grinned excitedly. "So much."

Immediately he was off his stool. "Then let's go."

"But our drinks…" she started.

He rolled his eyes at her and this time she was the one being pulled across the room.

* * *

They danced for an hour and Caroline was surprised by how good Klaus was at it. Their bodies moved perfectly together, doing the samba and the quickstep and sometimes even jazzing. Klaus was amazing at it all. When the music came to a lull for the first time in a long time, she was definitely breathing heavily.

"That was awesome!"

Klaus grinned at her and she knew he felt the same. In fact his eyes were sparkling in a way she'd never quite seen before. She had to remember to ask him if he liked jazz too.

The music got going again and she rolled her eyes. "Obligatory slow song of the night."

He just smiled before taking her hand and pulling her in close, placing his other hand on her waist. She smiled back as she positioned her own hand on him and placed her chin on his shoulder.

"This band truly is impressive," Klaus commented, right in time to make her feel like a creep for how much she was thinking about how good he smelled right now.

She nodded into this top, taking note of how warm his shoulder was through it.

"I'm glad you came," she said softly.

She wasn't sure if it was meant for him or for herself, but it was the truth. She had fun with him and he always came for her. She liked how safe she felt knowing that.

She liked how safe she felt in his strong arms as they slowly circled their way around the dancefloor.

She liked thinking about how they probably made for a perfect-looking couple as they did so.

He didn't reply but she felt the smile in her hair. She found herself disappointed that it hadn't been a kiss.

They danced closely for the remainder of the song, with her giggling every time he spun her before relaxing into his body once again.

But then it was over as the band swung back into full gear with their more dancey tunes.

"I could use a break," she admitted to Klaus and he nodded in agreement before leading her away.

Instead of going to the sofas or back to the bar though, Klaus took her to a tall bar table and chairs in a more secluded area of the club. After the waitress had come around and taken their drinks order, Klaus stared at a pensive Caroline.

"Seems like you have a lot on your mind."

"Oh, you know, life threats, disappearing friends, boyfriend drama," she shrugged. "The usual."

He smirked. "Disappearing friends?"

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Elena's going off to Ohio with Damon for his birthday. And I haven't seen Matt since Christmas."

"I hadn't realised that you did see him then."

"Yeah, we kind of made up about the fact that I told him your sister was no good for him," she replied, biting her lip and hoping he wouldn't take offence.

Klaus just smiled. "Well you'll be awaiting Rebekah's forgiveness for a far larger amount of Christmases, trust me."

"Duly noted," she replied and they both laughed.

The waitress arrived with their drinks and Caroline took the time to stare off into space again. He took a sip of his bourbon before placing it back down.

"You were magnificent today."

"Really?" she asked, breaking out of her reverie. She smiled a little before turning away. "Tyler looked at me like I was something at the bottom of his shoe."

"Perhaps because he realised that you could put him at the bottom of yours."

She looked at him, taking in his words, before smiling sheepishly and taking a sip of her mojito.

"You're proud of me, huh?" she said jokingly.

"Tremendously," he replied and his eyes weren't kidding.

That was when she noticed that their pinky fingers were just slightly touching as both their hands grasped the bases of their glasses.

She didn't know how she hadn't noticed it before; it set her on fire.

His eyes followed hers, drifting down to their lightly touching fingers.

He slowly began moving his finger. His pinky butterflied over hers, massaging and caressing and flirting with it as his eyes bore into hers meaningfully.

She gulped, trying to keep her breathing under control as she wondered how this tiny action was setting her nerves and entire body on edge right now.

It was no use; she couldn't breathe.

"Hey, Gorgeous! I was looking everywhere for you!"

Caroline stiffened, for a moment thinking it was Tyler, but it was worse.

Sunglasses Guy.

The young man's interruption surprised and annoyed Klaus but he was pleased to find Caroline grimacing in reaction.

The man took a while to notice Klaus but once he did, he seemed frozen in confusion. Klaus thought he should probably clear things up.

"She's taken care of, mate."

Caroline's glance didn't stay on the man for long.

She couldn't keep it off Klaus because all she could think was that, yeah, she _was_.

* * *

Highlights of this chapter for me were definitely Caroline VS Katherine, Caroline telling Tyler off real good and The Pinky Touch muhahaha.

But this isn't about me, I wanna know what you liked! So please let me know what you think because I'm sitting here praying that you liked it.

In case it wasn't clear, Kat isn't dead for good. She can only die of old age, though she still feels pain (that's why she's hiding out at the Salvatores', because torture). In essence she's kind of like a vampire minus any of the perks! So yeah, Caroline actually did her a favour snapping her neck because otherwise she would've had to go into hospital to get some stitches and maybe pop some bones back into place. But her injuries go away once she dies so SEE TYLER Caroline was just doing the polite thing! Heh. Rant over. Another thing about Katherine though is that she is just aging normally unlike the accelerated rate she does in Season 5.

Also, don't worry about Katoline. Every good friendship starts off with a little murder ;)

Lyrics are from _The Douchebag Song _by _Jimmy Nevis_. I haven't actually listened to this song so I can't attest to it musically, but I liked these lyrics for this chapter.

P.S. I was re-watching 2x19 realised that Klaus cooking is TOTALLY canon! Lol he cooked himself, Stefan and Jenna a whole meal. He even said he liked chopping. Haha. Also. 2x19 is amazing in general, oh my gosh. So many Klaus/Katherine/Elijah dynamics in the flashbacks :( I miss the good old TVD days.

ALSO Klaus dancing is also canon, haha. I swear Matt Davis got to do all the fun-Klaus things.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: Bonnie**

_My love has concrete feet_

_My love's an iron ball_

"Hey… Bonnie," Caroline began hesitantly.

"Bonnie?" she sighed. "Jeremy once told me that you said if we needed to talk to you, we just have to call out. You're always there… just like you always used to be," she said sadly.

"I guess I haven't done it much because I feel like a total loser talking to thin air, but it's kinda nice knowing you're watching over me… or from beside me, whatever," she laughed at herself.

"And I guess I figured that maybe you have better things to deal with than my stupid problems. I mean I bet you have tons of witchy stuff to keep an eye on. Plus I didn't want to talk your ghost ear off," she added, laughing again before sighing.

"But now I just need a friend. I can't talk to Elena about it because she wouldn't understand and… I don't even blame her. To her Tyler's the goof we grew up with, and Klaus is the evil villain who killed Aunt Jenna.

"But, I mean, doesn't change matter, Bonnie? Tyler's different. I hug him and yeah, he still feels like the same guy, and I kiss him and it all feels the same."

She bit a nail as she contemplated her next words.

"But sometimes I look into his eyes and he's miles away and I just… I'm not sure I know _that_ guy anymore.

And Klaus is different. He left New Orleans. He came back for me. I'm sure he's as much of a murderer as he's always been but he _wants_ to be different for me. Isn't that enough, Bonnie? Nobody seems to want to see it, but he's back in town just letting us all live in peace. How much more does he have to do to prove that he's trying to change?

_I'm _different, Bonnie. And it scares the crap out of me."

She re-folded her legs and the tears began leaking down her face.

"And I've been thinking: what makes Klaus so much more terrible than the rest of us? Stefan said it himself – Klaus isn't that different. I killed twelve witches to save you, Bonnie. _Twelve. _And I don't regret it, Bonnie, I don't. I'd do it ten more times to save you. But those were twelve _people_. I killed them just like Klaus killed Aunt Jenna. I'm sure there are dozens of nephews and nieces out there who hate me right now. And yeah, Klaus may have done it for selfish reasons, and I did it to save you, but _why_ I killed them doesn't make those witches any less dead."

She dropped her head into her hands.

"I'm half an hour early for my date with Tyler. When have I _ever _been half an hour early for anything? And the date – oh god. He wants to make up and I just… I _don't know_.

"There's him and there's Klaus and they're both all mixed up in my head.

"Klaus, god, he's amazing and I have thoughts about him that I _so _should not be having but I can't help it. It's just… the way he feels about me is so incredibly intense and I'm not sure I can reciprocate that, you know? I'm not sure I'm ready for eternity and that's what he wants.

"And then there's Tyler. It feels like we grow further apart every day. Sometimes I think, maybe it has nothing to do with Klaus. Maybe I could just break up with Tyler and be alone but then I think that maybe Tyler's my buffer for Klaus and I'm scared.

And oh god, then there's Tyler's mom. How do you break up with a guy who just lost his mother?"

She laid her head down on her pillow. It was soaked in minutes.

"I miss you so much. I wish you could tell me what to do.

"I wish you could come back and rewind time so that I never kissed Klaus and he never killed Mayor Lockwood and I wouldn't feel irrevocably bound to both of them." A sentimental laugh escaped through her sobs. "Because that's always what you did. You fixed things for us."

She laughed as she put a hand over her face. "And now you're probably finally at peace and I'm bothering you with all my silly guy drama."

* * *

"You ok?" Tyler asked halfway to the Grill.

His girlfriend was wearing significantly less makeup than usual and what she was wearing looked suspiciously smudged. But there was no way in hell that he was going to be insulting the way she looked, particularly when he was in as much trouble as he was with her.

She grunted noncommittally and he sighed. This was going to be a long night.

The truck pulled up to the Grill and it had hardly come to a standstill before Caroline had hopped out and gone inside to find them a table.

Tyler sighed as he whirled his keys around a finger. Yip, definitely a long night.

He spotted Caroline as soon as he walked in and made his way to his snarling girlfriend.

"Could you at least try for a smile?" he joked, sitting down.

"Listen to me, Lockwood. You have not uttered one word of apology yet so I have exactly zero reasons to be acting like some happy girlfriend right now. You are lucky that I am even _here_."

Tyler sighed. "I realise that. Thank you for coming."

With folded arms, she raised an eyebrow at him pointedly.

"And I'm sorry. I was a jerk. It's just that what you did scared the hell out of me. I've never seen you do something like that, Care. You have to understand that," he pleaded.

"Are you seriously trying to turn this around on _me_ right now?" she snapped.

A waitress came to them, holding up two menus, and Caroline barely spared her a glance.

"Not now!"

Tyler watched the waitress scurry away. He felt bad for her but worse for himself.

"No. Of course not. I'm just trying to explain myself. I didn't mean to imply that…"

"What, I'm some kind of monster?"

Tyler's eyes dropped to the table as he recalled the sight of his girlfriend snapping a human Katherine's neck after pulling an arm from her chest. A monster was exactly what she'd looked like.

"No. It's just that whatever Klaus is teaching you scares me because you won't tell me what's going on and then you do stuff like – "

"You mean the way you never tell me where you are or what you're doing?" she shot back.

He nodded slowly. "I know you're mad about that and I get it. I just thought you could trust that I'm doing what's best for us."

"Funny, I don't remember secrets and constant distance being in the handbook on tips for a successful relationship," she snarked.

He sighed again and was about to open his mouth to speak, but Caroline beat him to it, leaning over the table.

"You have issues with Klaus and I get that, I do. But whatever you're doing to get rid of them is driving a wedge between us." She took a shallow breath. "And if you're making a move against Klaus, he will rip out both our hearts without even blinking an eye."

Tyler leaned backwards in surprise. Caroline's eyes were serious and contained a little bit of fear. Maybe he'd overestimated Klaus' feelings for his girlfriend.

He caught her hand with both of his own as she sat backwards again.

"Care. I know I was a jerk and I know some terrible things have happened between us. But I love you and I want to be with you. Tell me you want that too."

Caroline's eyes bore into his for a few seconds, before she looked away.

"I want things to be the way they were."

It fell from her lips as an impossible wish to the heavens but he heard acceptance.

She looked back at him, this man who had loved her for so long. He'd put up with a lot from her and loved her despite it.

_Despite _it.

And he was handsome and loving and ambitious but she knew she couldn't do it anymore. Her heart wasn't in it.

And it had nothing to do with anyone else. This just hurt too much.

"Tyler, I have to tell you something."

"Just hear me out for a second, ok babe?"

Caroline closed her eyes for a moment. She could give him this. She could let him have his minute. Because the rest of the day would be hers and not one more second of it would be spent waiting for him.

She opened her eyes to his open hopeful face before forcing an encouraging smile.

"Care, I love you. After my mom… after what that bastard did to my mom… you're all I have. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you. When I leave I feel less empty inside knowing that there's something to come back to; someone who loves me. Right after my mom died, you tried to help me, to hold on, and I wouldn't let you. I struggled against your love because losing her… it just hurt too freaking much. And I feel like we're still doing that."

He squeezed her hand. "But I can do better and we can be better, Care. I love you and I can't let go of you. I _need_ you."

Her breath caught.

Not because his speech was beautiful or heartfelt, but because it ripped at her guts and made her feel sick under the burden of guilt and responsibility.

So she forced another smile because what else was there to do?

Tyler grinned. "Thanks, Care. I'm gonna get the waiter back, ok?" he announced, before bouncing off his chair and towards the bar.

"Bonnie," she said, and her voice broke in the middle, "I feel like I'm being held hostage in my own relationship." She sucked in a shallow shattered breath. "Bonnie," she tried again, but the rest was all tears.

* * *

Tyler was all over her but if he knew her at all then he must have known that she wasn't into it at all. And yet his kisses didn't stop.

When he had her pushed up against her front door, she pushed him away.

"I'm tired."

He smirked. "Let's get you to bed, then."

He managed to place another kiss before she shoved him away more roughly.

"I said no, Tyler."

He pulled away reluctantly as he eyed her.

"You're ok, right?"

She hummed the affirmative, not even capable of finding the energy to put her lie into words. She was everything but ok; it felt like the life had been sucked out of her. And somehow that was only half the reason she didn't want him coming in.

Klaus would be here soon.

"See you tomorrow," she said hastily, before quickly making her way inside and leaning against the wall beside the door.

She couldn't believe that had just happened. Somehow she'd gone from about to break up with Tyler, to having dinner with him, getting driven home by him and making out with him.

What was wrong with her?

She looked up at the ceiling, hoping that keeping her head elevated would hold off the tears at least for a little while.

Klaus was coming.

With that thought in mind, she stepped away from the door and was halfway down the passage when there was a single knock on her front door.

"Hi," she said, pulling it open.

His eyebrows knitted in concern as soon as he saw her face.

"How did the make-up date go?"

Caroline shrugged as she made her way to her bedroom with Klaus in tow.

"We made up."

Klaus was surprised by the lack of detail considering it was Caroline he was speaking with, but he didn't say more as she went to sit on her bed.

To stare at her knees.

Klaus frowned. There was definitely something bothering her but he sensed that she didn't want to talk about it. At least not yet. Perhaps she would be more receptive of another topic.

"You did a fantastic job today," he reminded her of their earlier session.

She didn't look up as she tugged at a thread on her dress.

"Yeah, I'm sure my mother would be very proud of the fact that I can hunt wild animals without a weapon."

Despite her dry tone, he smiled a little at that.

"Yes well that wasn't the intention, – "

"Stealth, I get it," she responded as she dragged herself back off the bed, not looking at him.

Klaus frowned at her back as she stilled near her dressing table. He imagined she was wearing some jewellery which she had to unload there, but she stood unmoving.

He wasn't sure what to do or say and it wasn't the first time.

Caroline made him feel like every experience was brand new and he would suddenly have no idea how to handle it.

"You don't seem particularly happy about you and Tyler," he tried tentatively as he stepped forward.

"Don't I," she quipped.

Another careful step.

"You're unhappy?"

"No," she uttered softly.

He wanted to pull out his own hair. For a woman who spoke so much, she sure could be impossible to figure out sometimes.

Moving up behind her, he placed a hand on her shoulder. The fact that it relaxed a little under his touch brought a bit of a smile.

"I'm not unhappy, I'm just angry," she announced suddenly.

"And whom is that anger directed towards?" he asked curiously.

She spun around and his hand came to rest back at his side.

"Tyler, you, me, the world!"

Her eyes were wild as she blinked away tears, biting her lips as she wrung her hands.

She was in hysterics and he wanted to calm her but didn't have the faintest idea how. He didn't even know what was going on.

"What did we do?" he asked instead.

She rubbed her hands across her face.

"I was going to break up with him tonight. Tyler," she added, though it required no further explanation.

And if he wasn't in the exact spot he never wanted to leave, Klaus may have taken a step back in surprise.

"I was _about _to do it and then… and then he said that he couldn't lose me. That I was all he had left after _you _killed his mother."

Klaus flinched at that and Caroline wasn't sure if it was what she'd intended or not. It was just the truth. And she was so full of her own that right now she couldn't worry about anyone else's emotions.

"And I, _I _couldn't do it. I just couldn't do it," she finished softly.

Klaus blinked. "Insensitive of him to guilt you into staying with him, wasn't it?" he asked bitterly.

"He didn't do it on purpose," she muttered, annoyed that he would think such a thing.

He nodded though he disagreed. He wouldn't put it past the little backstabber to try his hand at every trick in the book to retain Caroline.

And it was working. He already felt her slipping away from him.

All the time they spent together, it had begun to solidify not just their friendship, but their places in each other's lives. Even though in the backs of their minds it had been understood that once it was over, it would be over. Caroline wouldn't be able to make up any excuses to see him and her return to college would solidify the end of whatever this madness had been.

And though he had dedicated quantities of his time to wracking his brain for ways to delay the conclusion of the happiest period of his life, now he realised the end was sooner than even he had predicted.

She was slipping away.

And then she did something he couldn't have predicted either: she silently stepped forward and rested her chin on his shoulder.

He wanted to run a hand through her hair or pull her closer but the magnitude of the moment paralysed him. She smelled heavenly and she was on him and taking comfort in his presence. She was not throwing him out or yelling at him for ruining her relationship.

Caroline perched on Klaus' shoulder; her hunch had been right: Klaus' warmth and smell and general presence just made her feel better. Her insides went all squishy and maybe she felt a little shakier than usual, but it was impossible to deny the peace he brought her.

She knew. She knew that she should be mad as hell at him for killing Mayor Lockwood and just making a mess of everything. She knew she should tell him to go where the sun didn't shine so that maybe, _maybe _she could make her relationship with Tyler work.

But she couldn't. Maybe tomorrow she could scream at him for turning her entire life topsy-turvy, but for right now, she needed him.

And for a minute they just stood there thinking about how close they'd come.

And then how close they were.

Klaus' cheek began to move against Caroline's and his stubble tickled her in the most maddening way. She didn't want him to stop.

Her eyes fluttered closed. He was coaxing her. They were close but he wanted her closer.

She began inching her head closer to his as he continued his soft caressing.

Her lip pulled across his jawline and he stilled for a second as he caught sight of her shut eyes.

For the first time in a long while he was absolutely sure that she wanted this just as much as he did.

Her breath wafted over his lips and they were about to part as she crossed the last inch of distance between them, before her head dipped back into the crook of his shoulder.

"I can't, I'm sorry."

It came out muffled and he would have laughed if he weren't so frustrated.

Once again he was left wondering what to do with his hands as she buried her head into his body.

"I want to, god I want to Klaus, but… I just can't be that girl."

His eyebrows knitted in confusion. "What girl?"

She sniffed before removing herself from him. "The one who sends her boyfriend home so she can make out with some other guy in her room!" Her eyes widened as she spoke. "_Boyfriend_," she repeated, a reminder to herself as she took a few steps backward.

He nodded slowly in understanding as he watched her retreat. "I should let you get some rest. Good night, Caroline."

She couldn't even look at him, only nodded in return.

His beautiful English accent wafted back towards her before he was gone: "Sweet dreams."

* * *

_He was holding her hand._

_Not grasping it, but really holding it, as he sandwiched it between two of his own._

_And when her eyes roamed away from their hands, they moved onto his stomach._

_His bare stomach, with rivulets of sweat dotted across his abs._

_Her stomach dropped nervously as she realised what this was. It was a dream… but also a memory._

_She still felt the residual anger and confusion from that moment as the sleeping Caroline's consciousness melded with the one who had lived that moment._

_"You took my mind off it," Klaus was telling her. "You brought me back, Caroline."_

_Her eyes widened. Right. He was talking about Silas and whatever mind-whammy the witch-hybrid had used on him._

_But for a second there she hadn't realised and her mind had wandered to other places._

_She always seemed to take his mind off things because when he was with her he wasn't the man he was with everyone else. And she couldn't help thinking that maybe that meant she'd brought a little of something back in him – his humanity._

_She realised suddenly that he was still staring intently at her, waiting for a response._

_She knew she was supposed to say something about Silas now, about how powerful he must be if he could mess with Klaus' mind._

_But this was just a dream. And she couldn't help wondering what things would be like if she hadn't said or done the things she had that day._

_It was what everyone wanted, right? To go back and try out different things?_

_The opportunity was laid out before her: she could try out something different and see what it would lead to instead._

_She felt a strange rush of power at the thought._

_She had no idea how to respond though. In this moment they hadn't even been official friends yet and in real life they were on intimate terms that she couldn't even label._

_Which relationship did she go with?_

_"So you owe me?" she eventually replied._

_He smiled a bit but then glared at her bitterly, seeming to remember something._

_"I am not allowing Tyler to come back."_

_"That's ok," she said, shrugging, as she stepped back and removed her hand from his._

_He frowned. "Then what do you want?"_

_She thought for a second. What should she ask for?_

_She tried to remember anything else about that day._

_Oh, that's right. She'd been planning prom when Klaus had left her a gazillion messages._

_Prom._

_"Well, since you've run my boyfriend out of town, I could use a date for prom."_

_His frown deepened as he too took a step back._

_"You're asking me to prom?" he asked, as though it would make much more sense that she was asking him to find her a suitable replacement._

_"If it's not too high school for you," she shot back with a straight face._

_Now he stepped closer to her. "Are you saying you want me to be your date?"_

_"You know, for a one thousand year old guy, you sure are slow on the uptake."_

_An unbelieving grin slowly made its way across his face. She was rooted to her spot by its arresting adorability._

_Which made it easy enough for him to move another two steps closer and suddenly she found them in a similar position to the one they'd been in just minutes ago in her bedroom. Or what felt like minutes, anyway._

_"Simpler without Tyler, isn't it?" he suddenly asked and she wondered if Dream-Klaus could read her mind._

_Probably. Wouldn't be the weirdest thing that had ever happened in her dreams._

_"A little," she couldn't help but say._

_He smiled and softly placed a hand on her hip._

_"A little?"_

_It was difficult to concentrate, but she did her best._

_"Well you're still a mass murderer, psycho and general bad guy, so."_

_His other hand pulled up into her neck as his fingers lightly danced over her collarbone._

_If it hadn't been driving her crazy, it probably would've tickled._

_He was humming in agreement and nodding like he'd taken in a single word she'd just said but what he was really doing was staring at her lips and torturing her with his hands._

_"What are you doing?" she asked, because it was what that Caroline would have done and right now past-Caroline seemed like a safe zone._

_He didn't reply, ducking into her neck instead._

_Her knees very nearly caved when she felt his hot lips and tongue run over her throat._

_Her hands grasped each other tightly against his bare back to keep herself steady and she felt a groan erupt from her mouth._

_"Klaus," she hissed out and he stilled for a second. "Kiss me."_

_She was preparing herself for the impact, when it all disappeared._

_A very different and significantly more clothed Klaus faced her now as she stood before him at the Mystic Grill._

_What was happening?_

_"Ah. They sent you to sweet-talk me. Well, good form but I'm afraid I can't do it."_

_Caroline froze. She knew her line, but she was both wondering what on earth was going on in her head tonight, and suffering from some extreme whiplash._

_"Why not?" she managed to ask, but it was stilted and mechanic._

_"She needs my help," he replied cryptically._

_She was supposed to scoff now because nothing Klaus never helped anybody, but she knew now that not only was that completely untrue, but that Elena genuinely had needed his help._

_"Ok," she replied instead. She nodded at the chair beside him. "Mind if I join?"_

_A shy smile crossed his face and his eyes lit up._

_"Of course not."_

_She sat down before glancing toward his glass._

_"Red wine, huh?"_

_"Always nice to sit down to after a day of kidnapping."_

_She couldn't help but laugh. Klaus never failed to make her smile._

_"Could I offer you a drink?"_

Yeah. Thanks.

_Those were her words. She remembered every detail with him with immense clarity, but once again, what was the point of re-living those same moments? Particularly when change brought about whatever had just happened in her previous dream or memory or whatever it had been._

_The thought made her bite her lip in anxious excitement._

_"I'll have some of yours," she offered._

_It was a flirting tactic she'd learned a long time ago. Trust her to pull it out on the oldest guy in the world._

_His surprise was written all over his face but he slid the glass over, watching her carefully._

_She took a slow sip, before licking her lip even slower. She passed the glass back to him._

_"It's good."_

_His eyes were fixed on her. She couldn't blame him. She was acting completely different than she usually did with him. Probably even present-Klaus would be shocked if she ever pulled something like this with him._

_She leaned into him and he recoiled a bit. She had to bite her lip to keep from smiling._

_"Have I ever told you that you have the cutest moles in your neck?" she asked, examining the offending dots on his amazing neck._

_He laughed shortly. "No, I can't say you have."_

_She pressed a finger to the first mole, right next to his Adam's Apple, and then to the second, right on his jawline and beneath his stubble._

_He was frozen beneath her fingertips and she didn't have to look to know that he was still staring at her as if an alien had overtaken her body._

_"Can I ask you a question?" she asked, suddenly impatient._

_"Yes," he managed._

_"What would you do, right now, if I asked you to kiss me?"_

_She still wasn't looking at his eyes, but his lips were in her view line and she had the most insanely intense urge for them to be touching hers right this second._

_He moved quickly, and his lips pressed sweetly to her left cheek. He held his face there for a second and it was adorable but it wasn't what she wanted._

_She opened her mouth to say so but when she blinked she found herself somewhere entirely different._

_She looked around, then down at herself._

_Lots of people, the Mikaelson mansion and her blue ballgown: she was at the Mikaelson Ball._

_"Ok, clearly I'm on some weird kind of trip down memory lane," she muttered to herself before grabbing ahold of her dress and leaving the room she was in._

_She saw Klaus standing at the end of the hallway and smiled excitedly before making her way over to him much faster than she'd ever done that night, that was for sure._

_He smiled when he saw her. "I'd like to show you something," he offered politely._

_Right. His paintings._

_She nodded and he led the way, unaware that she knew exactly where they were going._

_When they stepped into his art room, she sighed a little. She was becoming annoyed with whatever trick her mind was pulling on her._

_She couldn't kiss Klaus in real life, and now she couldn't get a decent lip lock with him in her freaking dreams either?_

_But she said her line because the conversation had to get started somehow and Klaus had been particularly muted that night._

_"Sooo. What did you wanna show me?"_

_"One of my passions," he replied, looking at the painting up on the wall._

_And she would've been looking too, but she'd already seen enough of it. She wanted to look at him. He looked so regal and gentlemanly and adorable in his little penguin suit._

_She knew she had some wisecrack about the Louvre but it escaped her and it didn't feel right anyhow._

_"How did you know?" She asked suddenly then coughed, trying to cover her mistake. "How do you know?"_

_He frowned. "Know what?"_

_"That you 'fancy' me?"_

_He took a step closer. "I thought I'd already explained, love."_

_She sighed and crossed the room. "Right. Because that's all it was at this point: my beauty and strength and 'light'," she scoffed._

_She was done pretending._

_"You seem to want more," he noted._

_"It would be nice. I mean, everybody seems to get it. Your brother does. And you know what, I'm a great person. I get why Tyler would fall for me or Matt or that guy who always sells crazy sweet waffles at every town event he's allowed, but you? I just don't get it."_

_He was looking at her, confused by her speech and she sank down onto a sofa._

_"Why isn't this just some kind of crush? Why do you feel about me the way that you do?" she muttered, but it was mostly to herself._

_This wasn't the Klaus she needed to know these things from. All he knew was that she was pretty and he'd once saved her from dying._

_She looked up at the ceiling, noticing the blustering sound and the seat beside her being taken._

_"Perhaps we're meant to be together," Klaus offered with a small smile like even he didn't believe it._

_She scoffed again. "Seriously? That's the best you have?"_

_He shrugged. "Love is inexplicable, Caroline."_

_She pouted. "I hate that about love."_

_He laughed at her. "Well perhaps we'll find the answer in a few hundred years."_

_She smiled at him thoughtfully before frowning. This Klaus shouldn't be thinking of her this way. This Klaus shouldn't be making such grand proposals. Maybe she wasn't the only one carrying her knowledge from dream to dream._

_She pulled off one of her gloves and reached up to his neck._

_"Your bowtie's skew."_

_It wasn't._

_He didn't flinch as she moved her hand from his white bowtie, to his shirt and into his neck._

_She pulled her thumb lightly across his moles._

_No response._

_So she'd been wrong. This was just past-Klaus._

_She felt disappointed. She had nothing with this Klaus. She didn't like any time where they weren't what they were in the present, but this far back in their relationship made her feel funny._

_She withdrew her hand and he caught it mid-air._

_"You have some real moxie, Caroline."_

_It could have been a threat, but his tone was soft and admiring._

_"I picked it up from someone I know."_

_"I wouldn't happen to know them, would I?"_

_She smirked. "A lot better than you'd think."_

_It must have meant very little to him but he seemed unconcerned with the words._

_His hand was still on hers._

_"I've never been to a real Ball before," she stated suddenly._

_He smiled softly. "Is that so?"_

_"Yeah. I've always wanted to, though. I had this fantasy that I'd meet the perfect guy there and we'd kiss and get married. I was young," she excused herself laughingly._

_He didn't reply, but stared at her as if she'd just told him the most interesting story he'd ever heard._

_Suddenly his hand moved away from hers and up onto her arm. It sent tingles everywhere._

_"Are you going to kiss me?" she murmured because she didn't think she could stand waiting anymore._

_"Do you want me to?" he asked cautiously._

_She sucked in a breath. Then she nodded._

_Slowly and carefully, she moved her head up and down twice, resolutely._

_His hand was on the back of her neck now, pulling her in closer._

_His lips feathered across the corner of her mouth before making it to her lips._

_She was about to put all her force into kissing him back before he was gone again._

_"Shit!" she groaned._

_She was in a dark forest, trudging along behind Klaus._

_"Yes, and do you know who taught me? My friend, Magellan."_

_He was halfway through his line when he suddenly turned back, having heard her protest._

_"Everything alright?"_

_She bit back an especially nasty retort and went for the one she'd used that day._

_"Just surprised you had a friend."_

_He was still looking at her funny, so she cleared her throat to say something she knew would make him mad._

_"Was he drawn to your darkness too?"_

_He turned away and continued walking._

_"Actually, I was referring to Damon and Elena when I said that but clearly it struck a chord with you."_

_"It's because it's not true! There is no allure to darkness!"_

_"Really?" he asked, stopping to turn back on her. "So you've never felt the attraction that comes when someone who's capable of doing terrible things, for some reason, cares only about you?"_

_She didn't expect that to hit even harder than it had the first time._

_Her new plan had been just to live out these silly memories so she could get back into a dreamless sleep instead of torturing herself, but she couldn't bring herself to say her next words._

_Cares only about you._

_She gulped before nodding. "I still do."_

_The eyes that were glued to hers widened in surprise at her confession._

_"Klaus," she started, unsure of what she was even going to say._

_But he was waiting for her. He was always waiting for her._

_She sighed. "If I asked you to stop looking for Bonnie right now, would you?"_

_He frowned. "Why would you do that?"_

_There was only one thing she could say, really. Anything else and he'd suspect her of being Silas. Hell, he might do so anyway._

_But she couldn't think of anything else and she wanted this so freaking badly._

_"Because I need you more," she answered and it hardly made it out of her mouth but he heard anyway._

_Of course he did._

_Suddenly she was being pushed up against a tree and his hands were working on her, pulling down her blazer to get a grasp of her arms. She breathed and wrapped her arms around his neck._

_His hands were running up and down her now-bare arms, probably trying to make sure she was real, and even though it felt incredible, she had to stop him. She couldn't bear waiting any longer; couldn't bear another dream or worse yet, waking up._

_"Klaus. Please just kiss me. Now."_

_He looked at her in surprise and she didn't know what she was expecting but it wasn't the sudden urgency his lips grasped hers with. It wasn't the way he stole her oxygen and expelled it just as quickly as his hands gripped her body with the passion of a man who was finally getting what he wanted._

_She supposed she'd been expecting something akin to the rooftop kiss or Elena's would-be kiss, but it was neither._

_Her hands moved through his hair as his body ground hers against the tree and his mouth reminded her why every moment not spent with him like this was a moment she was trying to convince herself it wasn't what she wanted more than anything else._

_Suddenly his hands were pushing against her pelvic bones so he could tear himself away._

_She was a force to be reckoned with._

_She breathed heavily, trying to pull air into her crushed lungs. She wanted more of him._

_"Klaus," she started, but he was gone._

_Except he wasn't gone, he was behind her._

_She was sucking his blood into her mouth as his hand stroked lovingly at her hair. She was resting against him as she gripped at his wrist. He was saving her life._

_She let go when his self-inflicted wound closed, and sat up._

_He was quiet as she swung her legs down onto the floor. She rubbed a hand over her face, trying to get rid of how crappy this Caroline was feeling._

_The inertia passed after a few seconds and she turned to Klaus._

_"You saved my life."_

_"I put it in danger," he replied simply, avoiding eye contact._

_She stood up off the sofa, shaking her head in amusement. Of course he wouldn't take any credit here._

_And neither did he deserve to, really. If you thought about it from a human's point of view, it was a simple transaction. He'd put her life in danger, he'd saved it, there was nothing spent or gained really. Just back at zero._

_But she was beginning to look at things the way he did._

_He'd saved her. That was a big deal. He didn't save anyone he planned on killing unless they were of some use to him, like Elena or the Hunter. He didn't give up his revenge for anyone. Unless that person was her._

_He settled in the space she'd just vacated and looked up at her._

_"Go ahead and leave."_

_"Is that what you want me to do?"_

_"It's what you'd like to do, isn't it?" he bit out. "Go tell Tyler you're alive and his plan worked."_

_She shrugged. "He'll find out soon enough."_

_His eyebrows knitted together in confusion._

_She liked all this confusion she was creating in him in these dreams. For once he wasn't the most unpredictable one in the room._

_"Do you really want to be alone for however much longer you're stuck here?"_

_"Are you offering to stay?" he asked curiously._

_"Not really offering," she suddenly decided. "Just staying."_

_She walked back over to him. Maybe she could give this another go._

_"You saved my life." She breathed deeply. "Thank you."_

_He cocked his head as he looked up at her, probably wondering what on earth would make her want to thank him. Maybe he thought she was still hallucinating._

_She'd make him think he was hallucinating._

_She pressed a hand to his chest and pushed him back a little, before planting first one knee then the other on either side of him._

_He looked so confused she wanted to burst out laughing._

_But there was something else she wanted way more._

_"What are you doing?" he asked as she began leaning in._

_"What does it look like?" she replied, annoyed._

_"Caroline, I don't – "_

_"Shut up, Klaus," she said, before pressing her lips into his as she dug her fingers around his coat's collar._

_He resisted at first and it made her sad that this Klaus trusted her that little, but it wasn't long before his hands were roaming through her hair, tugging at strands as they went._

_Her legs were wrapped around him and she knew the exact moment his control slipped because his fangs came out. She slid her tongue over them and she felt him shiver beneath her._

_She was revelling in him._

_His taste, him on her and against her and the fact that he was here with her doing things she fantasised about when she was with him in real life._

_He pulled away before placing successive soft kisses on her lips. She smiled at the gesture._

_Her hands crawled from his collar and into his neck as she made to pull him back into another mind-bendingly sensual kiss._

_She had just pulled her tongue across his bottom lip before that moment faded away too._

_She glanced at the phone in her hands._

**_He's here. Go._**

_She touched the screen to send the message off to Stefan._

_Though it hardly mattered; these dreams obviously weren't about anyone but her and Klaus… and possibly her apparently not-very-well-hidden desire to do a lot of making out with him._

_She closed the message and turned back to the spot Klaus had disappeared from. She couldn't wait for him to get back with their champagne._

_Mostly because she couldn't wait for what would follow…_

* * *

Wow, so. Right when I first knew that I was going to be writing this story, I knew that I was going to be writing this chapter with the dream sequence and it would be a big deal. So when it came down to actually writing it, _man _was I nervous! I kept procrastinating about doing it but eventually I got it all done in one sitting. I think my least favourite scene I've re-written here is the one from 3x14, mostly just because, in retrospect, they knew so little about each other back then. A kiss would've been premature. So it didn't feel right to me, but yeah. Let me know what you think.

Forwood almost broke up in this one! Man, Caroline got SO close. It was sad to write, honestly.

On the other hand I have never approved of Klaus killing Carol and wanted to address it, so here he got to feel the repercussions of that.

Apologies to any Bonnie fans who thought this chapter might actually contain her. I considered it but since I've never actually liked Bonnie, I wasn't sure I was ready to do a convincing job of writing her yet. Plus, I didn't want it to be cheesy. I hope you liked Caroline talking to her though.

Lyrics are from Florence + the Machine's Heavy in Your Arms.

Ok, that's all I have to say. Let me know what you thought of this one pretty please because seriously, I love you guys' reviews so much.

P.S. There's a fanfic on here that has a similar feel to it as the dream sequence thing (i.e canon constantly re-written) that I love. It's called _Time & Time Again _by _lostinmysticfalls_.

ALSO I was just re-watching some 4x06 (for… more research, ahem) and has anyone else noticed the tiniest little beat of a moment where Klaus gulps because he realises he's been played? He looks so hurt and it breaks my heart. It's right after Caroline says "I came here to distract you so that Stefan could go to your house and break her out." Anyway it made me ten times happier I addressed the trust issue between them in my story because my poor baby Klaus.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14 but I finally get around to explaining what happened in New Orleans in my story. Reminder that because there's no baby storyline at all, I had to change the events of 420 significantly. Everything is completely explained though, as well as Klaus' extra time there.

* * *

**Chapter 14: The Bridge **

_Make sure to keep my distance_

_Say I love you when you're not listening_

_How long till we call this love?_

Elijah placed a quick rap on the door before entering his brother's room.

A dishevelled Niklaus was seated on his bed, having just woken up.

"The polite brother enters without permission?" Klaus asked in mock-horror.

Elijah smiled, looking slightly shamefaced. "I heard you stir and wanted to have a word before I left."

Klaus gestured. "Go ahead."

"What is it you're doing with the Forbes girl?"

Klaus sighed. "I thought we'd already had this discussion."

"That was before she killed Katerina."

Klaus laughed. "I wondered how long it would take the doppelganger to tattle."

"I thought you were teaching Caroline defensive, not offensive tactics."

"Not that it's any of your business, _brother_," Klaus started, standing up, "but I'm teaching her to be something that doesn't have to think for a second before it protects itself: the predator of all predators – a true vampire."

"And she's aware of this?"

Klaus narrowed his eyes at his elder sibling. "Despite what you may think of me, Elijah, I'm not tricking her into anything," Klaus spat, thinking of Katerina's words.

Elijah's eyes widened and he took a step back from his angered brother. "That is not what I meant to imply, Niklaus. I'm just worried."

"About what?" Klaus shot back suspiciously.

"About where the girl's line is."

Klaus shook his head, confused. "Her what?"

"Her line, Niklaus. Everyone draws one. And I'm afraid that you will attempt to push her past hers." He paused. "And since you have feelings for her, I fear that you may end up pushing her away altogether."

Klaus took a deep breath but didn't reply. Instead he began walking past his brother and towards his bathroom.

"As long as you know what you're doing," Elijah called, hoping to break through to his brother.

"Oh, I do," he responded, "I'm taking a shower."

Elijah shook his head at his brother's obstinacy as he heard the faucet turn on.

When he exited Niklaus' room, he cocked his head as he heard their front door first open then close. Descending the staircase, Elijah smiled pleasantly when he caught sight of the lovely blonde.

"Caroline," he greeted with a small bow of the head. "Either you're early or my brother is incredibly rude."

"Hey, Elijah," Caroline smiled back. "No, I'm the one who's early," she finished apologetically.

"It's no matter. It's just that I'm afraid my brother is currently in the shower."

Caroline grinned. "I didn't know Klaus was a late riser."

Elijah shared her smile. "He isn't ordinarily but he came in at quite the hour this morning."

Caroline frowned. "Oh. Ok."

Elijah grabbed his keys form the side table. "I apologise, it would be my honour to keep you company but unfortunately I have an appointment."

Caroline waved a hand. "Don't worry about it."

* * *

After Elijah left, Caroline glanced around the room feeling lost. And nervous. Klaus was about to come down those stairs any moment now and she would have to handle being doubly un-awkward. There was the weird place they'd left things in last night and of course the ensuing blush-inducing dreams she'd had of him.

And just standing around waiting for him to get out of the shower wasn't exactly helping her nerves. She sighed and took a look around. The Mikaelson mansion seemed the same as always. Dark and slightly sinister in the most beautiful and charming of ways. Or maybe that was just her projecting her feelings about its owner.

Then she frowned, suddenly remembering something. The painting Klaus had been working on, he'd never told her what it was of. _A treasured memory._

Caroline hesitated then resolutely began climbing the stairs, looking for an entrance to his studio. She eventually found the half-hidden staircase that took her to the round room on the third storey that Klaus used as his studio.

She tried the doorknob doubtfully but to her surprise it opened under her touch. She'd expected it to be locked. She walked in slowly, the eerie quiet of the room making her acutely aware of her breathing. That and the fact that she felt like she was trespassing.

Several canvases stood around, some half done, others seeming to have been scratched.

Caroline saw one with a familiar hue peeking out from behind the rest and she smiled as she approached the midnight blue painting.

To anybody else it would simply have been a painting of a roof and a midnight sky, with a view over a forest. Beautiful, but not meaningful.

It took Caroline's breath away.

Her fingers hovered over Klaus' re-creation of that night. Every detail was precisely the way she remembered it as she'd looked down at the ground, making her decision. Just minutes before she'd dared Klaus to kiss her.

She rubbed a hand over the goosebumps that had risen on her arm, taking a step back.

Something caught the corner of her eye. It was the white rectangle of Klaus' sketchbook.

She hesitantly stepped toward it also. Ok, so it was probably a terrible thing to do, but she couldn't help herself. She was too curious about what Klaus sketched.

Her hand reached out to lift it up.

"I'd rather you didn't."

Caroline looked up in surprise to find Klaus standing by the door.

"Klaus."

He smiled. "Good morning, love."

She smiled back, unsure of what to say as all the memories from last night's dreams came rushing back to her. Her eyes found his lips and her throat dried up.

Klaus smirked. "Did your snooping yield any interesting results?"

She shook her hair over her shoulder indignantly, huffing. "I wasn't snooping."

He raised an unbelieving brow.

"I was just waiting for you."

"Hmm-mm," he replied doubtfully as he made his way over to her.

"What's in your sketchbook that you don't want me to see?" she asked suspiciously.

He placed a possessive hand on the offending item as he stared at her intently for a few seconds.

"You saw the painting," he accused, ignoring her question.

She directed her gaze toward the floor, nodding. "It's amazing."

Klaus didn't say anything for a few seconds, causing her to look back up.

He just stood there, smiling down at her gently.

"We should get going."

Caroline frowned. "We're going somewhere?"

Nodding, Klaus held out a hand to gesture: "After you."

* * *

"So where are we going?" Caroline asked once they were inside Klaus' SUV.

"An abandoned house I've prepared for the purpose. You've fought me in a forest which has a limitless supply of wood. I want to see how you fare in a more realistic setting."

Caroline nodded. That made sense.

Unable to think of anything to say to him after what had happened between them last night, she turned to her window to watch the view whizz by instead.

Then specific thoughts began swirling in her mind, coming together like puzzle pieces right before the realisation hit her forcefully.

"No way!"

Klaus stared at her in confusion from the corner of his eye.

"No way… you – did you give me those dreams last night?"

Klaus concentrated on the road in silence as Caroline continued to stare at him in disbelief.

"Yes," he eventually replied.

She'd suspected it but his answer still shocked her into silence.

After a few moments Klaus took a breath.

"Are you upset?"

"Yes!"

No. She wasn't. For some reason that she couldn't quite put her finger on, those dreams had meant something to her and she couldn't hate however they'd come about.

But that didn't mean that she was going to let Klaus off the hook either.

He didn't say anything else and she glared at him.

"You hijacked my dreams and violated my mind! How am I not supposed to be mad about that?"

He remained silent and she pressed her fingers into her eyeballs. How was she supposed to handle this? It was quite possibly the most mortifying realisation of her entire life. Everything she thought she'd been doing in her dreams last night with absolutely no consequences whatsoever, Klaus had been witness to.

He'd been there for every kiss and every touch and every shameful thought she'd had. And now she had to deal with him in reality.

"How did you figure it out?" Klaus finally asked.

"How wouldn't I? The last thing you said to me last night was 'Sweet dreams'. And Elijah said you only got home this morning."

A small smile played on Klaus' face. "More than a pretty face," he repeated.

She rolled her eyes at the familiar line, before settling into the silence. She guessed she had to do the only thing she could: figure out a way forward from here. Preferably one that involved the earth opening up and swallowing her so she wouldn't have to face her embarrassment, but she could deal with something slightly lesser. Spontaneous combustion, maybe.

Caroline sighed. She hadn't even yet had the time to devote some proper thought to what had happened last night or what any of it had meant. Klaus had showed up right after Tyler had left, and she'd gone to sleep as soon as she'd thought he'd left.

And this morning she hadn't been able to pull her mind away from her dreams of the night.

Only now she had no choice but to deal with the ramifications of her actions. There was her almost-breakup with Tyler and the ensuing re-establishment of their relationship. And try as she might, she couldn't forget about her almost-kiss with Klaus and the ensuing awkward moments and, god, the amazing dreams he'd given her.

She wasn't even sure how to begin going about straightening all that out in her mind. Hopefully repeatedly trying to kill Klaus would provide her with a distraction because the last thing she needed in her overwhelmed state was to sit around and obsess about it all.

"I have a question," Klaus started suddenly.

She turned to him, frowning.

"Who is this guy who sells 'crazy sweet waffles' and should I be worried?"

And as hard as Caroline tried, she couldn't stop herself from doubling over laughing.

* * *

"Mom, I _cannot_ believe that I let you drag me here," Caroline complained into her mother's ear as the fourth mind-numbingly boring speech started up.

Liz smirked. "June thought it would look good if the former Miss Mystic Falls attended."

Caroline glared at her mother for the way she'd phrased that and Liz laughed.

"What? You _are _the former Miss Mystic Falls!"

Caroline continued her glaring. "Well where exactly is the _current _Miss Mystic Falls then?" she asked pettily.

"April has an important school project."

"In other words she had a better excuse than me."

Liz smiled. "Oh baby, stop being so bitter. It's not like you have anything better to do. In fact, you wouldn't want to do a speech too, would you?"

Caroline intensified her glaring. There was no way in hell she was doing that.

Liz just laughed quietly before turning her attention back to the woman on stage.

Caroline realised that she had no idea what the woman was talking about or even who she was. Taking a sip of her cold tea, she suddenly had the eerie feeling that someone was watching her.

She turned around slowly and smiled when she saw that, sure enough, Klaus stood just outside the doorway.

Caroline cleared her throat, before leaning back into her mother's ear. "Mom, I'll be right back, ok?"

Liz nodded distractedly and Caroline stood up, smoothing down her white cropped pants.

Klaus smirked at her as she approached. She noticed that he was in his usual dress of a Henley with jeans, but his top was white and he wore dress shoes.

"This looks interesting," he noted sarcastically, gesturing with his head to the inside of the hall.

She smiled. "What are you doing here?"

He pulled a face. "It's the tea. I couldn't help myself."

Caroline laughed in spite of herself. "That might be funny if I'd actually ever seen you drink a proper cup of tea, Mr Englishman."

Klaus smirked and she smiled up at him shyly.

"Wanna take a walk?"

He smiled softly. "Thought you'd never ask."

* * *

"You look stunning, by the way," Klaus said as they neared the small bridge above the brook.

His compliment made her smile. Annoyed by her mother's request, Caroline had lazily dressed in the first white outfit she could find, just pulled her hair into a high bun and done the barest amount of makeup.

"Thanks."

They walked on in silence and when they got onto the bridge she leaned her elbows onto the ledge.

"Nice location," Klaus noted, breaking the silence.

"Well they couldn't exactly use the Lockwood mansion."

Klaus nodded. "True. The Council is known for its sensitivity, after all," he replied dryly.

Caroline rolled her eyes. "It's a new Council, you aren't allowed to hate them already."

"Seeing as their entire existence is dedicated to hating us, I believe I most certainly do have the right, love."

Caroline sighed. "They don't hate us. My mother rounded them up and explained everything herself."

He hummed an acknowledgement but didn't say anything else; leaning beside her as together they stared at the gently moving water. It was so peaceful that she didn't want to speak or break the moment at all.

Or do anything that would jeopardise anything between them, really.

Why was she so set on dissolving the only relationship she actually felt happy in?

"You should just say it, Caroline," he announced suddenly.

She glanced at him from the corner of her eye. He wasn't looking at her.

"I don't know how to," she responded honestly.

"It's only me," he replied, smiling a little.

Caroline smiled sadly too before sighing. "Remember when I said that we passed the bridge of friendship a long time ago?"

She took a deep breath, not needing to wait for his reply. Of course he remembered.

"I want to go back. I want us _just_ to be friends."

She bit the inside of her lip, turning to see his reaction. He still wasn't looking at her and his face was emotionless.

"You want to erase everything that has happened between us?" he asked.

"Not erase. Just… pretend that it never happened. For now."

Klaus nodded slowly. "If that's what you really want, Caroline."

She turned back to face the water. It wasn't what she wanted but she knew it was what she needed to do.

"How did you know?" she asked, desperate for him not to leave yet.

"How would I not know?" he asked, making her smile.

Then he sighed, seeming pained. "You're obsessive, devoted and committed to anything you take on, Caroline. I knew when you told me that you couldn't break up with him."

He knew her so well. She did want to commit to Tyler properly.

She sighed deeply again. "I owe it to myself to try," and she knew it was the reply he'd been waiting for; a confirmation that he should back off.

He turned around, leaning his back and elbows onto the ledge as he stared off into the distance.

She snuck a glance at his pensive face as the streaming sunlight lit his features; softening them. So still and illuminated, he looked like a god.

It didn't help Caroline's faith in the decision she'd made.

And it hurt more than she could've expected to know what she was letting go of and have to stare upon it as well. But four words consoled her: _However long it takes._

She wanted to ask him if he still meant them, but suddenly he was moving.

"I should go."

Caroline nodded awkwardly, swallowing.

"Enjoy your tea," he added, managing to drum up a small smile.

She smiled too and he turned to begin walking away.

"Klaus," she called out and his footsteps faltered. "I'll see you tonight."

* * *

**No, I'm just going to get an early night.**

**Love you.**

Caroline gave the text one last guilty glance before sending it off to Tyler. She was becoming such a liar but she didn't know how else to handle this.

She'd already given up Klaus; she couldn't give up their evenings together too. She felt like they gave her the chance to get to know the Klaus nobody else took the time to. Their friendship was important to her. She had to protect it, even if that meant lying to Tyler so he wouldn't come over.

"Hey," she said shyly when she opened the front door.

It was a strange comfort to see him there – as beautiful and dependable as every night. A part of her had been terrified that he wouldn't come.

"I trust you had your fill of tea this afternoon."

He smiled like nothing had happened and her heart did something close to curling in on itself.

Still, she managed a laugh. "Emphasis on 'fill'."

She began leading him into her house as usual, and laughed when she saw him raise an eyebrow at her leading him to her room instead of the lounge.

"My mom's going to be home soon," she explained.

He didn't say anything in reply and she wanted to roll her eyes at him. As if he were any kind of a stranger to her bedroom.

Ok, that sounded very wrong, thank god she hadn't said it aloud.

She found herself wanting to giggle and it suddenly occurred to her that it was thirty seconds into her time with Klaus and she already felt so much better.

"You know, I've been thinking," she started, because someone had to say something.

"Have you now?" he asked lightly, smirking.

"Yes. You never told me about your time away; what happened in New Orleans."

He narrowed his eyes at her curiously. "I didn't realise you'd want to know."

"Well I do."

He looked like he was hesitating, so she quickly hastened to add something that would guilt him just enough into telling her.

"I mean, telling me is the least you could do seeing as it's where you disappeared to for months after you left without so much as a goodbye," she stated, folding her arms.

He frowned as she spoke before his face softened at the end. She knew her move had worked and it wasn't much of a surprise. Caroline Forbes always got her way.

"What do you want to know?" he asked.

"Everything. Starting from the beginning, would be nice," she demanded airily, hopping onto her bed.

He smirked at her audaciousness, shaking his head. "Well, as you may know, it all began the evening of your prom. I received a letter from Katerina telling me that a witch in New Orleans by the name of Jane-Ann Devereaux was plotting against me."

Caroline nodded. "That's when you left. You didn't come back till Graduation." She frowned when a thought occurred to her. "You trusted Katherine's word?"

"Granted, she isn't the most trustworthy source, but she had no reason to lie. Sending an immortal Original on a wild goose chase would not end well for someone whose only goal is to receive their freedom from me."

Caroline smiled a little. She didn't know why, but she found it a little funny that Katherine was so scared of Klaus. Maybe it was because little old her had the man wrapped around her finger.

Klaus eyed her bed for a second then dropped to the floor beside it, sitting in front of her bedside pedestal.

Caroline had to hold back a smirk. Never mind wrapped around her finger, she had the big bad Original hybrid sitting on the floor for her.

"So how was Jane-Anne plotting against you?" she asked after a second.

"Well it turned out that she wasn't plotting against me at all. It was a rumour she had circulated specifically to lure me to New Orleans."

It was a smart move. Simply asking Klaus to come somewhere wouldn't work for anybody. Unless that somebody was her, of course.

"So what did she want you there for, then?"

"First off, she intended to surprise me. On arrival I became aware of the fact that somebody from my past was not quite as dead as I'd believed him to be."

"Somebody from your past?" Caroline questioned curiously.

"Marcel. Hundreds of years ago I was his mentor; to me he was something between a son and a friend. When Mikael came after me he left a trail of dead vampires as he drove our family out of town. I'd believed that Marcel was one of those who had perished."

"But he didn't…?"

"No. He didn't. Instead he'd taken over the Quarter. The town that I'd built."

"You… built New Orleans?" Caroline asked curiously.

"In all but the most physical of senses," he replied.

And as modestly as he said it, she could tell that he expected her to be impressed. But she wouldn't be the Caroline Forbes who kept him on his toes if she did that, now would she?

"New Orleans, really? Couldn't you have built a really cool place like Chicago or, I don't know, New York?"

Klaus' face fell for a second then he started laughing. "I'll do better next time, sweetheart."

She smiled, pleased with his response, then frowned. "So why did this witch care about you and Marcel?"

"Marcel no longer was the young, lowly vampire I'd left him as. He'd taken over the Quarter – become King. Jane-Anne believed that as the rightful founder of the place, I would be envious. She was right."

Caroline raised an eyebrow. "So the basis of her plan was that you'd react like some spoiled kid?"

Klaus' jaw clenched at her words but she took no notice.

"What could her plan possibly have been from there?"

Klaus still looked offended by her insult but he answered anyway. "The witches in the Quarter were being oppressed by Marcel. He'd placed a ban on them practising magic. And unfortunately for them, he also had an uncannily accurate way of knowing when they did. Devereaux and her followers wanted me to expel him from his position of power."

Caroline frowned. "Wait… they wanted _you _to take over from this Marcel guy? Haven't they read _Animal Farm_?"

He smirked at her in amusement. "I believe it was their last resort. Especially since they couldn't simply relocate."

"Why not?"

"They practise ancestral magic. Their power comes from the thousands of corpses of their ancestors buried in the city. Without it they'd be powerless."

Caroline nodded in understanding. "And they couldn't use their magic against Marcel because he'd know." She thought for a second. "How _did _he know?"

Klaus sighed as if it were a part of the story that pained him greatly. "He was manipulating an incredibly powerful witch into doing so: Davina."

Caroline nodded again. "Ok. So what happened?"

"The witches wanted me to infiltrate Marcel's inner circle and obtain his trust. I didn't know it at the time but their slow-winded approach was because they wanted to get Davina back."

"And did you? Gain Marcel's trust?"

He stared off into space for a few seconds, and she wondered what he was thinking about.

"I was getting there. I learned of Davina and most of how his inner organisation worked." A small smile crossed his face. "And then I received a very important graduation announcement."

Caroline blushed as she remembered him showing up to Graduation. Not to save Damon, but because he'd already been on his way. Because she'd been graduating. He'd been dealing with vampire and witch politics in New Orleans and he'd flown all the way back to Mystic Falls just for her graduation.

"And then what happened?" she asked.

He shrugged like he wanted to gloss over this bit. "Perhaps it made me become impatient or perhaps seeing you reminded me that I don't take orders from witches, but I decided to do things my way."

"Why would seeing me remind you of that?" Caroline asked, confused.

"You always remind me of who I really am, Caroline," he replied earnestly.

Caroline's cheeks burned as she quickly glanced down at her bedspread. She needed to say something witty.

"So I'm guessing 'your way' was threatening the life of Marcel and anyone he's ever known?"

Klaus laughed. "You know me well."

Caroline rolled her eyes but smiled too. "So what, now _you're_ King?"

He nodded like it wasn't any big deal but she felt like it was time for her to show to how proud she was of him.

"That's pretty cool. I guess I'll have royalty showing me around when I go, then," she stated, smiling genuinely down at him.

His eyes creased as he smiled back at her bashfully.

"So then you just up and left your new empire?" Caroline broke the moment.

"It began to bore me. Which, incidentally, happened right around the end of your semester."

She bit her lip. He'd left one of his favourite places, that he was the 'king' of, where he could enjoy amazing culture, food, music and art. He'd left all that to come back to her.

He'd left a bustling empire of his own to settle back in Mystic Falls.

She cleared her throat awkwardly. "So who's in charge while you're here?"

"I made Marcel my right-hand man."

"You trust him after you threatened him?"

Klaus considered for a moment before shrugging a little. "There was a time when I trusted him implicitly. And I'm not entirely out of the loop about whatever happens in my city."

"So basically Marcel's still in charge just like he was but the witches aren't oppressed anymore?" Caroline raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You basically just forged one hell of a compromise."

Klaus smiled brightly under her praise. "I'm glad you approve, love."

"Well, not of all the people you must have killed along the way," she replied knowingly.

Klaus considered pretending he had no idea what she was talking about, but he just shook his head, smiling. She really did know him too well.

"A necessary evil."

"I'm guessing Davina was one of those?"

He frowned. "And how did you arrive at that conclusion?"

"You didn't say anything about her again. You probably planned on using her too, right?"

He didn't miss the bitter edge to her voice. "I had plans for Davina, yes. Certainly not of the same stock that Marcel had used her for. I wasn't happy about her death," he admitted. "But I gave Marcel and the witches clear conditions before leaving. If there's anything I learned living here, it's that different supernatural creatures can co-exist somewhat harmoniously," he ended with a sardonic smile, remembering all the times Caroline's friends had tried to kill him and his family.

Still. She was a one year old vampire and he was a thousand year old hybrid. He had to believe in the peaceful co-habitation of different supernatural species.

"Well I've told you about everything there is to be said about my time in New Orleans but what about your time at Whitmore?"

Caroline shrugged. "I've told you already."

He nodded. "All the boring stuff: classes, books, etcetera. Surely there must be more. Frat parties, new friends, cute boys?"

He added 'boys' as if it bore no importance but she could tell it was the topic he was most interested in. She considered toying with him by answering everything except that but then decided against it. He'd been completely straightforward about his time in New Orleans, the least she could do was respond in kind.

"I know you tend to forget this, Klaus, but I _do_ have a boyfriend."

"And that prevents you from meeting attractive blokes?" he asked, an eyebrow raised. "Come on. Surely there's someone whose limbs need tearing from their bodies," he said, enunciating each word in a more pronounced fashion, as he often did when he was speaking violently.

She grinned. "Was that your version of a protective father or an overbearing boyfriend?"

"Whatever you're into, love," he joked, with a twinkle in his eye.

She blushed at the innuendo but couldn't help laughing. She mentally debated for a second before deciding to tell him. _He_ wasn't her boyfriend, after all.

"Well there was this one guy, Jesse. Really good-looking, you know – tall, dark and handsome. We flirted a bit, but nothing more," she said, suddenly becoming shy as she realised she was telling Klaus this.

"Is that so?" Klaus asked, looking rather amused.

She rolled her eyes. "Even if I wasn't with Tyler, nothing would have happened."

"And why is that?"

"He knew about vampires and has some huge issue with them for some reason."

He suddenly looked worried. "How do you know that?"

"I overheard him talking on the phone. He didn't mention what he has against us but he definitely seemed to hate vampires," she said, shrugging sadly. She really would have liked to be friends with Jesse. "I know he's like an orphan or something though. I figured maybe a vampire had something to do with that."

Klaus looked thoughtful. "What did you say his name was?"

"Jesse, why? You didn't massacre his entire family or something, did you?" she teased.

The small adorable smile that he only seemed to use when he was with her appeared on his face. "No."

She grinned. "Good. Anyway, after that I just kept my distance."

A look of what she perceived to be mock surprise took hold of his features. "You mean you didn't have Elena search his dorm room for clues while you distracted him?"

He was teasing her now, she knew.

She pulled a face. "And why would I do that?"

"You're rather adept at acting as the distraction, as I know from personal experience," he smirked.

She pulled another face and he continued, "My personal favourite was the top you wore to make me forget that I even had Elena in captivity."

Gasping, she picked up a large pillow from beside her and threw it at his head.

"Pervert!" she squealed, even if she maybe felt just the slightest bit pleased that he'd noticed and appreciated her efforts.

Her throw had been a human one and he caught the pillow easily, laughing.

"What? I was simply noticing what you were doing such a good job of displaying!"

She glared at him playfully. "I'll have you know that I had been wearing that top all day," she lied, hoping it was convincing.

In actuality she'd spent a few minutes deciding whether to change or not and had then decided on that low-cut back-baring top, trying to ignore the knowledge that Tyler would not have been happy if he'd known.

Klaus nodded in fake agreement. "Hmm-hmm, a _likely_ story," he said, grinning.

She shook her head as if amusedly annoyed at his disbelief. They settled into one of their familiar comfortable silences.

Which was weird because to Caroline Forbes there was no such a thing as a comfortable silence... was there? All she knew was that she liked this moment. She felt oddly safe with Klaus, in more than just a physical sense. She felt like nothing could break this weird shared understanding between them. Moreover, nobody else could even comprehend it. They hardly did, she thought.

"Klaus, there _is_ something I didn't tell you about college," she suddenly had the impulse to announce.

She knew she shouldn't say it, especially after their agreement today, but she couldn't help it. He deserved to know.

"And what's that, sweetheart?" he asked, turning back toward her slightly.

"I missed you," she said, knowing how simple the words were but how much weight they bore.

He turned to look at her fully, the shock evident on his face, before he smiled. "Well it's good to know that I wasn't the only one pining."

She scoffed. "I never said I was pining!"

He raised an eyebrow as if it were obvious and she giggled. She enjoyed the arrogant act he put up for her sometimes.

She tucked her legs underneath herself and started examining her nails as a warm glow filled her.

He'd missed her too. All that time in New Orleans with all the crazy stuff happening to and around him and he'd still thought about her. _Pined_ after her. The very word made her want to smile. It was so Klaus.

"Caroline?"

"Hmm?" She looked up from her nails to his waiting face.

"What about me? Am I tall, dark and handsome?" he asked sweetly, clearly looking forward to whatever her answer would be.

Caroline bit her lip to keep from smiling, instead pretending to be thinking really hard about it.

"Well, you are really tall and I guess _sort of_ OK-looking," she shrugged.

She giggled as Klaus' jaw dropped and before long they were both shaking in laughter.

The tears were soon streaming down her face but she was still just able to make out Klaus' laughing face. Suddenly she found herself continuing to laugh just so he would. She was absorbed by his beauty.

_Sort of OK-looking. _

It really was a laughable description.

And just like that she was genuinely amused again.

More than that, she was happy.

* * *

I'd like to extend a huge thank you to all my Guest reviewers who I'm unable to individually thank, so thank you guys for your kind words and I hope you continue to like the story :)

Lyrics are, once again, from _Distance _by Christina Perri.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: I'm afraid of you**

_So in the end it's not just you _

_with your memories and your scars_

_fall on me if you ever forget _

_how beautiful you are_

"How was your early night?" Tyler asked her as soon as he'd walked in and done the perfunctory hug and kiss.

Or at least she thought of it as perfunctory.

Caroline spared a quick thought for her night with Klaus.

"Good. Early," she said cryptically, hoping it would suffice. "How was your night?" she asked.

"Missed you of course," he responded as he pulled her in, kissing the back of her neck.

She instinctively stiffened, before remembering: This was her boyfriend. There was no reason she shouldn't like this.

She still found herself searching for an excuse.

"I have to get going soon Tyler, I can't."

"Baby, come on."

For the first time ever it annoyed her that he called her baby. Her mother called her baby.

"Tyler, I really don't have the time. Klaus asked me to come in early," Caroline lied.

A nerve twitched in Tyler's cheek at her mention of _his_ name but he didn't say anything.

"How about we have a late lunch?" she proposed.

He shook his head. "Can't. Have to leave early."

Caroline frowned. "Where are you going?"

"Rebekah got Matt tickets for the big game. We're driving out; doing a guys' night."

"Who's 'we'?"

"Me, Jer, Matt. We asked Stefan but apparently Damon's taking Elena somewhere tonight so he's on Katherine duty."

"So basically you're leaving again?"

It wasn't that she wanted him with her, not really. It had just become one of her pet peeves whenever he told her he was going anywhere. It reminded her of lonely nights and unreturned phone calls.

Tyler sighed a little. "You want things to go back to normal. This is normal, right?"

Caroline looked at him for a moment then relented, nodding.

He grinned. "Besides, I'll be back by tonight," he added, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Thinking of Klaus, she gulped, her mind racing for a good enough excuse.

"Maybe we can just do lunch tomorrow."

The disappointment was etched all over his face but he nodded.

Caroline knew he thought this was some lingering form of punishment for his screw-up the other day; otherwise he would've pushed harder. She was grateful for the misunderstanding because it was a whole lot simpler than having to explain than that she was trying to juggle two men.

"Have fun tonight," she offered genuinely, leaning into him for a hug.

He was warm and strong and smelled like Tyler.

It wasn't that familiar anymore.

His hands gripped her tightly as if he was surprised but touched by her gesture.

"So what are you gonna do since Elena's gonna be out?" he asked into her hair.

"Um, a Me Night, I guess."

"The Notebook and popcorn?"

"Lots of popcorn. Maybe ice-cream if I'm feeling crazy."

Tyler's body shook against hers as he laughed.

She smiled too. She'd become a very good liar.

* * *

Caroline pushed open the heavy door to step into the Salvatore boarding house. She nervously stepped into the heavy silence.

As if the reason she'd come here didn't have her anxious enough.

"Stefan?"

Her hair blew behind her shoulder as someone sped over.

"Nope. But you've reached the prettier Salvatore brother." Damon said, smirking.

She rolled her eyes. "Where's Stefan?"

"Well hello to you too, vampire Barbie."

She waited. When it didn't seem like he was going to answer her question, she sighed.

"_Hey_, Damon. Now where is Stefan?" she asked again, pushing past him to enter the sitting room.

"Out," he replied, following.

"Out?" Caroline repeated, turning to face him.

He nodded. "Him and Elena are off doing some sort of friendship bonding. Or something," he added uninterestedly.

Caroline raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yip." Damon responded, popping the 'p', before going to pour himself a glass of bourbon.

Caroline frowned. "And you're OK with that?"

He shrugged. "It is what it is." He looked up. "What do you want Stefan for?"

"So it wasn't your idea then," Caroline thought out loud.

He responded with a glare so she decided to answer his question.

"I just needed to talk to him. I'll come back."

"Wait a second," Damon said, stopping her in her tracks. "_I'm_ here. What do you want to talk about?"

She would have choked if she had something to choke on. Damon _wanted _her to talk to him?

"Seriously?"

"Can't say I'm not intrigued by what might have Caroline Forbes all riled up," he said, slumping onto a sofa.

"So you _do_ know my name," she commented sarcastically, despite having become pretty accustomed to his nicknames.

He did his trademark side smile. "Come on. I'm sure I could give you some _awesome _advice that nobody else, my sappy brother in particular, ever could."

She stepped closer to him, suspicious. Then she figured it out.

"I get it! You're lonely. And you want something to take your mind off Elena and Stefan."

He winced. "Can't the reason ever just be that I'm a _really nice_ person?"

She snorted softly, but considered his proposal.

The truth was that although she'd come here to speak with Stefan, she wasn't sure he really was the ideal person to get advice from about this. She'd come here in desperation and a sort of last ditch effort to sort out her feelings and Stefan always had a calming effect on her. But truthfully she also really needed some advice.

And Damon was right. He could probably offer her insight that nobody else could. Besides, she could always talk to Stefan about it later.

"Fine. But no mocking me and no glib remarks," she ordered strictly, sitting down on the sofa opposite his.

He raised an eyebrow. "Have you met me?"

Caroline glared. She was regretting this already.

"So. What's got that pretty blonde head of yours in such a worry?"

Caroline took a deep breath. "There's this… guy, right –"

"Ooh, I smell a scandal," Damon said, rubbing his hands together gleefully.

She intensified her glaring. "And we're _just _friends."

He made snoring noises and she rolled her eyes. Damon was such a child sometimes.

"I really enjoy spending time with him. It's just…" she pursed her lips, now unsure about how to explain this or even if she should. "Sometimes I don't know who, between him and Tyler, I'd rather spend my time with if I were forced to pick."

He began to look at her a bit differently and as much as she tried, she couldn't figure out what it meant.

"And it gets a little awkward because…" she took another deep breath before saying the rest in a rush, "we generally see each other at night and sometimes Tyler wants to…" she cleared her throat, " be invited in."

Damon's eyebrows shot up and amusement returned to his features. "Ohhhh, I see. You're forgoing sexy times with your wolf for 'bestie time' with your mystery guy?"

She blushed, remaining silent as she avoided his eyes.

"And this is what you wanted advice about?"

She nodded her head, still evading eye contact. The only thing she could've done to embarrass herself any more was to admit to cheating. And to _Damon_ of all people.

She suddenly had no clue why she'd agreed to tell him. Or why she'd felt the urge to tell anyone at all. She was ashamed of her feelings and actions, and here she was sharing them with a guy who disgusted her half the time.

Silence filled the room for a minute before she looked back up, wondering why he wasn't speaking.

He was just sitting there, seemingly staring off into space with a tiny smile on his face.

"Well?" she snapped.

Damon looked back at her, apparently coming out of his reverie. "What?"

She threw her hands up in annoyance. "You said you were going to give me advice!"

"Oh, right." He leaned his elbows onto his knees before resting his head atop his fists. "That's quite a situation you have there, Barbie," he finally remarked.

She raised an eyebrow. _No-freaking-duh_!

He stared at her intently for a few more seconds before he sat back again, draping an arm around the sofa, "And you came here to tell Stefan this, right?"

"Yes," Caroline answered, unsure where he was going with this.

She was beginning to wonder whether he was actually going to be giving her any advice at all or if she'd just spilled her guts for nothing.

"What would he have said?" he asked.

Caroline bit down on her lip in frustration, but realised that this line of questioning had to have some relevance to her situation, however unlikely it might seem. Otherwise he would have laughed her all the way out of his house as soon as she'd finished speaking.

So she gave his question some thought. She imagined that a very different Salvatore brother sat before her at this very moment. He was more compassionate, understanding and didn't ask grating questions. His smile was warm and his voice was calm.

But along with the image came the question she knew he would ask right off.

"He would want to know who the guy is," she replied honestly.

Damon smirked. "So what you're saying is, I'm already doing a better job than my brother would have?"

Caroline rolled her eyes again but suppressed a giggle. It was sort of true.

He smiled softly at her reaction before his face grew thoughtful. It was weird how interested he was by all of this.

"You want to know what it means. If you're a terrible girlfriend; whether you actually want to be with Mr Mystery. Am I right?"

Caroline sighed. She hated that she felt this way. "I guess."

"Then let me ask you a question. Why do you and this guy meet at night?"

"I don't know, it just sort of happened."

"And if you weren't meeting with this guy, would you let Tyler in?"

She wasn't sure. But she couldn't tell Damon that.

"Yeah, of course."

He shrugged. "Then there's your answer," he said simply, as if that explained everything.

"Wait, what?"

He smirked. "Caroline, you're not a terrible person. You're just a person who doesn't manage her time very well."

"But… shouldn't I want to be with Tyler all the time? Shouldn't I want to spend endless hours with him over everyone else? Isn't that how you feel about Elena?"

He seemed surprised when she mentioned Elena. He frowned and she swore she saw a thought cross his mind that she already knew he wouldn't share.

After a few seconds he broke their eye contact and looked up at the roof, then back at her.

"There _have_ been times since Elena got back that I just wanted some brotherly time with Stefan. For some Salvatore bonding time, you know?"

"Huh. Stefan mentioned you two got pretty close during the semester."

"Such a chatty Cathy, my brother," Damon tutted jokingly.

She rolled her eyes but smiled. It was relieving to know that Damon would want to spend time with someone else besides Elena. Her time with Klaus had slowly but surely become more and more important to her.

"So you're saying there's no reason to worry?" she confirmed.

His gaze was intense as he answered. "I'm saying you shouldn't feel like you're cheating. _But _you should do some thinking about how you really feel about this other guy." He sat forward. "I have a feeling that you're lying to yourself. And I could be wrong, and I'd be okay with not knowing whether I am or not, but would _you_?"

Caroline felt an odd sensation in the pit of her stomach. She remembered to be sick as a human. It was a similar sensation.

But she cocked her head and smiled. "How come you don't let anyone know you're this deep, Damon?"

"Wouldn't be able to handle the resulting traffic," he responded, gesturing around the room.

She giggled, doubting that that many people would ever come knocking for Damon's advisory services, even if he had said some pretty significant things to her.

"By the way," he began, when she was about to stand, "you should really re-schedule your meeting times with this guy. At some point I'm pretty sure the wolf is going to start wondering why he isn't getting any."

Caroline wanted to roll her eyes at his crude advice but she knew he had a point. Still, the thought of Klaus' face not being the last one she saw before going to bed disconcerted her.

And that confused her.

Damon was right and she had no idea what to do with that.

Before she hadn't understood her feelings but now that she'd been trying to push them away they'd become even more difficult to deal with.

It was a Pandora's Box.

"Ok well thanks for listening, Damon," she said, feeling a little awkward, before beginning to make her way out of the room.

"You know," Damon called out, stopping her once again. She turned back but he didn't turn to look at her. "Klaus once asked me for advice about you too."

Caroline's eyes widened in utter shock. "He did?" she exclaimed.

She immediately put a hand to her mouth, realising the significance of both his statement and her response. "I mean, what does that have to do with me?" she tried covering for her mistake.

He turned to face her now with a knowing smirk. She felt cold and paralysed. But she was also desperate to know what Klaus and Damon had said about her.

Damon smiled. "Don't worry, Barbie. I'm not gonna tell anybody."

She was frozen as he strolled over to his stereo and selected a CD. He turned back toward her, with that same look in his eyes from earlier.

"You know, you impress me, Caroline Forbes."

He slid a disc into the machine and loud rock music filled the room. When he turned again she was gone.

Damon smiled.

* * *

Caroline sped out onto the Salvatore porch, gripping her stomach. She felt like she could hurl. She steadily took deeper and deeper breaths, her throat bone dry. She was glad Damon had started music so he couldn't hear her suffering outside his house.

_Damon_. He knew everything.

She desperately drew in more oxygen.

OK, not everything. She hadn't mentioned the kisses her and Klaus had shared or any of the other romantic encounters they'd had. So far all he knew about was their friendship.

But he'd also alluded to her having more than just friendly feelings…

She stood there for five minutes, alternating between reassuring herself and panicking at the thought that Damon would tell Elena.

Eventually she pulled herself together. She couldn't exactly stand on the Salvatore porch for the entire day, freaking out. Not only would someone inevitably find her, but she also had to go meet Klaus for their lesson.

She ran a quick sweep over her outfit before taking one last deep breath. Ok, things weren't too bad. If Damon decided to say anything to anyone, she'd just cross that bridge when she got to it.

She was in her car when that undecipherable expression he'd worn and his last words came back to her: "You impress me, Caroline Forbes."

She remembered when she would have done anything to hear those words. And although she was no longer a weak, insecure human – Damon's puppet – they still meant… _something_ to her.

It hit her then, that look he'd given her earlier. It made sense now that she knew he'd known about Klaus all along.

It had been as if he'd unearthed a realisation about her that he'd been genuinely surprised by. Like he'd just seen a side to her that he never could have imagined existed.

_You impress me._

* * *

"You look tired, he must have worked you hard," a familiar Italian accent came from behind Caroline as she climbed out of her car.

Caroline turned around, grinning.

"Mia!"

The strawberry blonde grinned too as she approached Caroline.

"Hello, Caroline."

"What are you doing here?" Caroline asked excitedly, strangely overjoyed to see the Italian.

Mia pulled a face. "I came to say goodbye."

Caroline frowned. "You're leaving?"

Mia nodded.

"But what about your cute guy?"

Mia shrugged. "He turned out to be a jerk." She considered. "A cute jerk."

Caroline laughed before a thought occurred to her. "Any address I can alert the authorities to for his body?"

She was only half-joking.

Mia burst out laughing. "You always make me laugh, Caroline."

Caroline smiled, feeling strangely sad. She'd formed an odd sort of bond with this woman in the short time that she'd known her. For some reason she didn't want her to leave.

"Does Klaus know?"

Mia nodded. "We had breakfast this morning."

A shot of jealousy panged through Caroline's heart and she felt annoyed by it. If she'd ever had the right to be jealous about however Klaus spent his time, she definitely didn't have it anymore.

"I was actually wondering if I could speak with you for a moment," Mia continued.

It sounded serious. Caroline frowned.

"Sure, what's up?" She bit her lip as she glanced at her front door guiltily. "I'm sorry, I wish I could invite you in."

Mia laughed politely. "Don't worry about it, really. This won't take long."

Still, she looked off into the distance and Caroline had the distinct feeling that Mia wasn't sure of how to say whatever she wanted to tell Caroline.

She took a deep breath before looking back at Caroline. "It occurred to me that you must be scared."

Caroline took an unconscious step back. "Scared of what?"

"Klaus," she uttered simply.

Caroline wasn't sure how to respond.

"You're eighteen years old and he's a thousand. It would be intimidating for anyone."

Caroline nodded, still speechless. It seemed to encourage Mia.

"But add the fact that he's the kind of man who doesn't care for anybody – something everybody keeps telling you, I'm sure – yet he cares for you so deeply… that's worse. And committing yourself to a man like that, it certainly isn't something you do lightly."

"It's for eternity," Caroline whispered, agreeing.

Mia nodded sombrely. "And I cannot imagine anything scarier than that for you."

Caroline folded her arms, mainly to hold herself together. Finally, somebody understood her dilemma. She couldn't just say yes to Klaus. She had to feel about him the way he did about her. She had to be sure.

"But you're not the only one who's scared," Mia continued, and Caroline looked up in surprise. "He's scared too, Caroline."

Caroline opened her mouth to deny it. There was no way Klaus was scared. Not of anything. But definitely not afraid to be with her.

"Of what?" she asked softly.

She couldn't help it.

But Mia shrugged sadly. "I really don't know. You'll have to ask him."

Caroline's forehead creased as uncertainty gripped her features. As open as she felt their relationship was, she couldn't imagine actually asking him something like that.

Mia grabbed hold of her arm. "Just ask him." She smiled softly. "Ok?"

Caroline nodded mechanically.

"Goodbye, Caroline. I feel truly glad to have met you." She grinned. "I sincerely hope that things work out."

She walked off a few steps and was about to speed away when Caroline called out.

"Mia!"

She turned back, her green eyes piercing into the blonde's.

"Thank you. And goodbye. I'll see you around."

A small smile crossed Mia's face before she nodded and sped off.

Caroline rubbed her hands over her face. Mia had the incredibly annoying habit of imparting some giant wisdom that ended up turning Caroline's brain upside down.

She took a deep breath. She couldn't think about this anymore. She had to get ready.

* * *

Caroline smoothed down her white top and skinny jeans before pulling her cardigan closer.

She thought back to her and Klaus' conversation that afternoon.

_"Soooo you wouldn't happen to be doing anything tonight, would you?"_

_Klaus had smirked, pulling back the hit he'd been about to land._

_"Depends why you're asking."_

_Caroline rolled her eyes. "Ok, you know what, I was just asking to be polite; we both know you spend every night with me anyway."_

_His silent smirk hadn't disappeared and she'd relented. "Tyler's going out of town with Matt to watch the game. I thought we could do something."_

_His tiny smile had been adorable; an immediate acceptance of her proposal. "How would you feel about a picnic?"_

She took a deep breath then knocked on Klaus' door.

She didn't usually knock and she wasn't sure why she was doing so now, except maybe because she'd realised on the over that he knocked on her door every night. And if he felt half as anxious and uncertain as she did right now, then he definitely deserved to be the door-opener for once.

He opened his massive front door and immediately that smile took her breath away.

Oh, god, what was she doing here? She couldn't even stand the man's smile.

"Caroline."

"Hey."

His eyes appraised her for a second before he held the door wider.

"Come in."

"We still doing a picnic?" she asked innocently.

She couldn't know that her shampoo pleasantly assaulted his senses as her perfume drew his eyes all over her body; searching for each point she had applied it to. Her hair was perfectly tussled and her outfit perfectly casual, aside from the black platforms she wore. The feather necklace hung from her neck, giving his eyes a blessed reason to move beyond her cleavage.

"Yes!" he eventually answered, a little more forcefully than he'd intended.

She looked at him strangely as they made their way to his kitchen.

"I was just packing the basket," he finished more quietly.

"We doing this outside?" she asked, before blushing. "And by 'this' I mean the picnic."

There was something between them now and neither was sure what it was. Maybe it was that she'd turned to him the second she'd found out her boyfriend had plans for the evening.

Maybe it was the tiny moment of perfect friendship they'd shared the night before.

Maybe it was Damon's words swirling around her mind or maybe it was just that you couldn't pretend away the past.

Either way, the mood was half awkward and maybe just the slightest bit more flirtatious than usual. Additionally, the spontaneity of their plans meant that neither had had near enough time to obsess about how every moment might go. Klaus only knew what had happened the last time he'd taken her where he planned on taking her tonight.

"In a sense," he replied cryptically.

He pulled two bottles of champagne from the refrigerator before placing them into the basket.

"That's it."

She grinned back at him excitedly. "Lead the way."

* * *

"Careful," Klaus warned before she took her second jump.

She pulled a face at him then launched herself upward with all the predictable déjà vu playing havoc on her mind. When she landed on the studio's roof, she saw his reason for warning her.

"No way," she exclaimed.

Candles had been placed around the perimeter of the studio's round roof. Caroline's toes curled into the grass that covered the surface of the dome.

Had he actually brought in grass to make it seem more like a picnic?

She couldn't hide her smile as he landed beside her, her shoes and the picnic basket in hand.

"What do you think?" he asked, laying the objects down.

"I think you're crazy," she replied honestly, but she couldn't help a laugh escaping with her words.

"You'd be surprised how difficult it is to find grass for sale in this town," he commented and she rolled her eyes.

"No, I wouldn't be surprised. Because nobody needs to _buy _grass in Mystic Falls."

He didn't reply, only smirking, and she sent up a silent prayer that he hadn't actually had the stuff imported.

She couldn't get over how pretty everything was though. The candles were beautiful and she rubbed over her covered arms to rid herself of the goosebumps that rose as she once again looked down at the view.

She wasn't sure if they were because of what she was actually seeing or just the sheer power of the memory from the last time she'd been up here with Klaus.

From beside her she heard him pop the champagne and Caroline dropped down on the soft grass, crossing her legs.

He settled next to her before passing her a flute of champagne. Taking it, she sipped, staring wondrously at the view as Klaus set up their picnic.

"I can't believe you did all this in a few hours," she eventually managed to say.

He just shrugged as he opened the platter of sushi he'd placed on a tiny portable table.

She took the chopsticks he offered her and gave him a quick puzzled look before taking them.

"How'd you know I loved sushi?" she asked curiously as she reached for a piece of sashimi.

"I didn't." He admitted. "There are four other baskets downstairs with different foods."

She laughed, shaking her head in disbelief. "Seriously? You're kidding."

"My chefs were hard at work," he assured her.

"You are way too rich," she said, not for the first time.

It made him smile.

She was having similar thoughts. "I can't believe you brought me up here again."

"I thought it was appropriate," he replied, his blue eyes boring into hers.

He was right, of course. The last time they'd been up here they'd also been just friends. Except she hoped that he wasn't expecting the same result.

She'd chosen Tyler.

They ate in silence for a few minutes.

"Can I tell you something?" she said suddenly.

He looked toward her expectantly.

She breathed. "I'm really glad we're friends."

She didn't know why she'd felt compelled to say it, but she had. As much as they both wanted more and honestly she wished they were up here doing something other than eating, she valued his friendship. It was something she'd never in a million years expected herself to feel, but there it was.

She liked his opinions and stories and the way he spoke to her and made her feel like the most important person in the universe. Not that long ago he'd been the man who had almost killed her and now he was her friend. It was crazy but, she supposed, no crazier than anything else in her life.

His eyes sparkled in the dark but he was silent as he slowly laid down his chopsticks.

For a second she felt sure he was going to kiss her, but he didn't. She watched in disappointment as he lay backwards, looking up at the stars.

She looked up at them too. "Are you going to show me all the constellations?" she teased.

He looked at her in real surprise. "You already know them all, love."

The confidence he said it with made her frown. There was no way he could know that for sure. He just believed in her intellect that much.

She placed her chopsticks down too before joining Klaus.

She knew it was the perfect time to bring up what Mia had spoken to her about, but she just couldn't force herself to say the words to ask him.

A few minutes passed and though just being with him in the dark silence was comforting, she felt like there was something else she needed to know about him.

Oh who was she kidding, there was always something else she wanted to know about him.

"Can I ask you something?"

"You can always ask, love," came his usual reply.

"How could you kill your mother?" she blurted out, her words loud and crisp in the cold dark air.

She didn't need to be touching him to know that he'd stiffened beside her.

She rushed to elaborate. "I mean, your dad, I get it. He wasn't your real dad and he hated you for that and spent a thousand years trying to kill you. But you killed your mother before any of that. It's just…" she sighed, trying to phrase her thoughts properly. "I look at my mom and I can't imagine living without her. How could you kill your own mother?"

She knew her question must have seemed sudden to him and it probably was. It was just… his father's box that he'd given to her for Christmas stood on her dressing table and each time she looked at it, a different thought crossed her mind.

Tonight it had been about the previous woman who had received it as a gift.

"Esther," Klaus hissed.

Caroline turned to look at him and regretted her question as soon as she saw his steely gaze toward the heavens.

"She was nothing like your mother, Caroline. She was cold and distant. She never protected me from my father, even when I was just a lad." He shook his head, a humourless laugh escaping from his lips. "Of course, it was guilt, but I didn't know that then. I didn't know I was the bastard son of a man who couldn't tolerate me."

Caroline was quiet. She didn't know what to say. All she could do was listen as Klaus described his life from a thousand years ago.

"After my first kill as a vampire, I found out about my werewolf heritage. And then she took that from me too."

"The spell," Caroline whispered, acknowledging. "The one you needed to kill Elena to break."

"And even as I held her life in my hands, she wouldn't tell me his name," Klaus finished bitterly.

That must have been when Esther had told him about the box instead. Right before he'd ripped out his own mother's heart.

"Only that's not why I killed her," he said and she frowned, surprised.

"Because I didn't need a reason. She turned me into a vampire and one thousand years may have turned me into a monster, but neither of those matter when you're _born _the way I was: a murderer."

The confession took Caroline's breath away. She turned away, unable to look at the raw emotion on his face as a single tear slipped from her eye.

How could he think of himself like that?

"No none's born a murderer, Klaus," she tried, but he cut her off.

"Don't. I know exactly who I am, Caroline. I'm the bastard who murdered both my parents, kept my siblings in boxes and I don't deserve to have found my real father. I probably would have killed him too."

Suddenly she understood. No matter what Klaus had done, no matter how many people he'd killed or how many families he'd left in tears, there wasn't a single person who hated him more than he hated himself.

The stars above her began to blur as a heavy silence settled between the two.

Caroline knew she had to say something. She was the one who'd asked him that question; made him reveal his vulnerabilities. Because as usual, he was honest with her about his feelings. Only her.

The thing was that she didn't think he wanted to hear what she had to say.

Then again, she was Caroline Forbes, damnit; when had that ever stopped her?

"Bullshit," she announced.

Klaus' eyes widened as they turned to face each other.

"What?" he asked threateningly.

"You heard me. _Bullshit_," she enunciated confidently.

He didn't say anything further, speechless as he stared at her in surprise. She took her chance.

"You were _not _born a murderer, Klaus. You feel so guilty about the fact that you're a _bastard _when that has nothing to do with you! It's not your fault. I mean, yeah, obviously it had a huge impact on you. Maybe because it was drilled into your head, maybe because you knew that man who abused you could never be your father, I don't know. That's not the point."

She took a deep breath.

"Trust me, I am not justifying it, but you became the guy who could kill his mother because you never had the right kind of unconditional love. You never felt safe. You never felt like you were good enough."

Caroline's eyes widened as the last words of her mini-speech rolled from her tongue. Her head jerked skyward in surprise.

"Holy shit, that's it, isn't it?"

Klaus frowned as he stared at the blonde. He appreciated her efforts but he had no misgivings about the monster he was. She didn't know the things he was capable of; the things he had _done_.

And he would tell her that, except it seemed she had unearthed some sort of revelation.

"What?" he asked curiously.

Further realisation dawning, she slowly turned her head back to face him.

"That's what you're afraid of."

Klaus' forehead creased further. He still had no clue what she was talking about.

"Care to expound, love?"

"You don't think you deserve me. _That's_ what you're afraid of."

It was just pouring from her mouth, she was becoming aware of that. Because if she'd stopped to think about it then she would've known that this was definitely not something she should be saying to the man himself and especially not right now.

But she was Caroline Forbes after all and – _damnit_, she just really had to learn to think before she spoke.

She squeezed her eyes closed as she waited for whatever outburst was sure to come. She expected something very British, like a fiery demand of where she thought she got off, but none came.

Feeling stupid, she opened one eye then the other. Klaus was still staring at her as if she'd just recited the entire Greek alphabet.

Ok so maybe a bit more of an explanation wouldn't hurt.

"Mia dropped by today. Before she left she suggested that I think about what might scare you about us being… together," she finished lamely.

He turned to face the stars again as his jaw clenched.

This was it. He was going to ask her to leave, just as he had at the Mikaelson Ball. She'd probably just signed Mia's death warrant as well.

It shocked her when he emitted a shaky sigh instead.

"It does scare me," he stated simply.

Her eyes widened. "Wait, it _does_?" she exclaimed.

So yeah, she'd said all that, but it hadn't even really made sense to her. It had all just kind of rolled from her tongue.

"W-why?" she asked hesitantly.

"Because," he began, "because I destroy everything: my brother Henrik, half my family. Rebekah hates me, Elijah remains out of loyalty. I'm a monster and you're…" he sighed. "You're light. And though there is nothing in the world that I want more than to be with you, it does scare me, because I don't deserve…" he seemed to stumble over himself, struggling, then eventually left the sentence hanging.

_Love._

He didn't say it, but he didn't have to. She knew.

Caroline gulped guiltily as she stared up at the dark sky. All this time she thought she'd been the only one running as he chased relentlessly, but he was scared too. Mia had been right.

Klaus had never received that unconditional and forgiving love that she felt she enjoyed from all the people in her life. He thought he didn't even deserve it.

So she couldn't stop herself from saying it. Not though it may be misconstrued; not because it was inappropriate or because her friends would kill her if they knew.

"Klaus," she breathed, "I love you."

The words were out.

Neither of them looked at the other so she had no way of knowing about the small sad smile that fought its way onto his face as he contemplated her friendship and love.

He couldn't know how happy she felt for having said it, even as she worried that he may think she'd meant anything but familial and friendly love.

But he didn't.

She was Caroline, and he knew her.

But she was also _Caroline _– his weakness, his magnet. He could not stop his hand from slowly inching its way closer to hers.

The backs of their hands touching scared her, not because she hadn't been expecting it or the accompanying jolt of excitement it sparked in her stomach or because it felt so damn amazing, but because all she wanted to do was interlock her fingers with his and lie there with him in blissful peace.

Instead she pulled her hand away quickly, bringing it onto her stomach to fidget with the other.

An imperceptible sigh escaped Klaus' lips but he understood her reasoning. His touch had been inappropriate; it crossed her new friendship rule.

Suddenly a question of his own occurred to Klaus, drawing creases across his forehead. He was about to utter it when she spoke and the words died on his lips.

"I should go."

He nodded, putting as much understanding into the action as he could. She smiled, gratefully, and it was beautiful. She was always beautiful.

A second later she disappeared. All he could think of was what her answer would've been.

_What are _you _afraid of?_

* * *

I have so much to say about this chapter so bear with me pretty please.

First of all, yes that was Mia's goodbye. I was really happy about how you guys took to her. As someone who isn't a fan of OCs myself (I don't even like new characters on the show), my intent was very much to bring in a character who didn't interfere in the narrative or plot too much and so I thought this was a nice time and a simple way for Mia to bow out.

As I've said before, I wrote most of this story before Season 5 of TVD and this chapter is one those. So now that it's pretty much become canon that Damon is a Klaroline shipper it just makes me LOL. Still, the conversation between him and Caroline in this chapter definitely does not make them besties. I just like their dynamic (wish it was explored more on the show) and in my humble opinion Damon is often a character who brings the harshest of truths to the table and I liked the idea of him shaking up Caroline a bit in terms of her beliefs, just like in the first chapter.

Klaus and Caroline aren't the only ones who had a picnic today :) If you were wondering where Katherine was during Damon and Caroline's chat, she was having a picnic outside with Elijah! I tried working that information in somewhere but it didn't end up fitting. Anyway, love Kalijah :)

I hope you noticed that I did not try to pick a side between who was right about why Klaus is evil. Caroline and Klaus have different views about why he is the way he is and I doubt either really convinced the other of their view in this chapter, but they did get to hear what the other thought, which is what I thought to be important. That being said, it's up to you to decide who you agree with :)

Haha also. I totally slipped in a _How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days _(the movie they watch together in _I Dare _You) reference so if you've seen the movie I hope you caught it ;)

I found this poem on Tumblr that I really loved and made me think of Klaus and this chapter:

I was created  
to _strip lungs _  
of their **breath**  
to **_destroy_** pretty little things  
and **_burn _**them to the ground.  
to bring _the world_ to its k_n_e_e_s  
and hear **my name** spoken  
only in **_fearful whispers_**

I was created human,  
but I was made  
to be **_a monster_**.

Fun fact: my theme song for Caroline for this story is _Damned if She Do _by _The Kills_.

Lyrics are from _Just You _by _Jensen Ackles _which I would suggest to anybody, not least because that man has the voice of an actual angel.

Let's talk about cheating for a second!

I'm putting this right at the end because it's going to be very long and I don't expect everybody to read it. But before I even go into a longer explanation, I just want to remind everyone that in the canon of my story Klaus and Caroline have already kissed _twice _in _I Dare You_. And that was while Caroline was with Tyler and they were in fact in a pretty happy place. Or as happy as you can be in a long distance relationship I guess.

Moving on. Some of y'all amazing readers seem to be really concerned about what may happen between Klaus and Caroline while she is still with Tyler – cheating (especially emotional). And while I commend you for your morals, I will say that I have none of my own (ok that sounds bad, I'm a respectful Christian girl I promise). By that I mean that I draw no moral lines in the sand when writing – particularly not vampire stories. Perhaps I over-analyse things too much because I'm an English major, perhaps I have an inherent tendency to over-analyse or perhaps it's just because I recently studied the first -ever vampire films, but applying human morals to vampires seems a bit arbitrary to me. In vampire canon _TVD_ vampires seem to fall between all the really bad ones with no consciences and the _Twilight_ ones.

That's something I'm interested in. You'll notice early on (the very first chapter) Damon and Caroline chat about what it means to be human VS a vampire. Later Elijah talks to Caroline about Nature VS Nurture. So I'm very interested in that constant friction inside of a vampire between their primal urges and the humanity still stuck there inside them.

Naturally what is most important to me is Caroline and what _she _thinks, but as she gets closer to that feral side of herself, doesn't it only make sense that some of her other darker urges may make an appearance too? Maybe it's for a second or maybe she throws her morals out the window all together, I'm not giving anything away ;)

My point is not that Klaus and Caroline are going to get down and dirty while she's still with Tyler, but that it doesn't matter to me one way or the other. Vampires don't need our human laws to live by.

I just hope you guys will like wherever I choose to take these two ;)

And if you actually read all of that then I'm awarding you an imaginary gift of your choosing because wow.

HAPPY EASTER :) :)


	16. Chapter 16

I was so pleasantly surprised by how many of you liked the Damon and Caroline scene in the previous chapter since my experience with Tumblr has been that most Caroline fans hate Damon. So I'm really pleased y'all were ok with it :)

This chapter is incredibly short. It started off being even shorter but then the other day I realised that it was just unfair that Mabekah got a part in this story and Kalijah didn't. So naturally I had to write something up. Because it was a spontaneous afterthought on my part, the last part of this chapter does not influence the plot of the story and you can comfortably skip it if you're anti-Kalijah – if you're Kalijah-neutral though, I'd recommend reading it as it provides some insight into Kat and Elijah's actions later on in the story.

As for the shortness and lack of Klaroline, this chapter sets up something for the next.

* * *

**Chapter 16: If you love something**

_My head's underwater_

_But I'm breathing fine_

_You're crazy and I'm out of my mind_

Caroline's eyes opened slowly, immediately registering an unwelcome amount of bright light plus an even more annoying object underneath her head that was… her arm. Groaning, she arranged herself into a more comfortable position, ready to go back to sleep, when she caught sight of her alarm clock.

11:30.

She probably would have cursed if she had the energy for it, but instead she pondered the cruelty of life.

She would have to be at Klaus' in half an hour.

Groaning again, she reached for her phone to check for messages. She couldn't help the sudden glee she felt when she saw half a dozen missed calls from Tyler.

_Now he knows how it feels._

The guilt she felt for that thought drove her to dialling his number.

"Hey Care, where've you been?" Tyler answered worriedly.

"Bed," she replied sleepily.

He snorted. "You just woke up?"

"Hmm-mm," she confirmed.

He laughed. "That must have been one hell of a Me Night."

She smirked. "You have no idea."

She rubbed her eyes, trying to massage some brain power into herself. "How was the Guys' Night?"

Tyler began blathering on about football and his team and the awesome tickets Rebekah had gotten them and Caroline almost went right back to sleep.

"So good, then?" she eventually asked.

"Yeah, but I'm more excited to see you later."

Right. Lunch.

"Me too," she replied automatically as she idly wondered what she was going to wear today.

"Want me to pick you up from the Mikaelson's?"

She couldn't believe he was offering to fetch her from Klaus' house. As if that had even a tiny chance of going down well.

"Nope, I need to grab a shower."

"Ok, see you later, babe."

She hummed acknowledgement and an 'I love you' before re-placing her phone on her bedside pedestal.

Maybe she could squeeze in a few more minutes of sleep.

* * *

Caroline reluctantly pulled off her shades as she parked in front of Klaus' house. She had a sneaky suspicion that her intense exhaustion had something to do with the epically long dream she'd had last night about the picnic her and Klaus had shared. And she had the even sneakier suspicion that the man himself had something to do with that.

"So it's one day early, one day late, is it?" Klaus asked sarcastically, appearing right beside her as she climbed out of her car.

"I overslept," she said, which wasn't _technically _true, but whatever.

She glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "You didn't happen to give me any dreams last night, did you?"

Klaus smirked. "No offence, sweetheart, but I do occasionally have better things to do than stand outside your window all night."

She rolled her eyes as he looked at her curiously.

"Why, what did you dream of?"

"Last night," she answered simply.

He smiled. "Well, rest assured, I'm flattered by the fact that you want to spend even your non-waking hours with me, love."

She scoffed. "Oh, please."

Then Caroline frowned, noticing the familiar path they were headed down. "Why are we going into the forest? I thought we were going back to the house today."

"Something came up," he replied cryptically.

"Ok, that doesn't sound shady at all," she laughed, as they stepped into the clearing.

She frowned at the sight she was faced with.

A man in his late-thirties stood there, looking terrified. She didn't understand until she realised that he was also standing unnaturally still.

He'd been compelled.

"What's going on?" she asked, turning to Klaus.

"Thisis Earl. Earl, why don't you say hello the woman whose mother you almost got killed this morning."

Stunned, Caroline whirled around to the man with wide eyes. What was Klaus talking about?

"Come now, Earl, be polite," Klaus encouraged.

The man looked scared stiff but he managed to open his mouth to squeeze out a Hello.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, facing Klaus again.

"Earl, here, is the vampire in charge of protecting your mother. At least, he _was_ until ten o' clock this morning when she was very nearly murdered by a teenaged robber."

"Oh my god, is she ok?" Caroline exclaimed, already pulling her car keys from her pocket as she prepared to rush off.

"No need to fret, love, a fellow officer managed to push your mother out of harm's way. Shortly thereafter I replaced Earl with a far more competent and loyal vampire."

Caroline froze, confused. Why was Klaus telling her all this then? And what was Earl doing here?

"Now you may be wondering how someone with vampire speed couldn't beat a bullet when a mere human could, and I wouldn't blame you. Because you see, Earl probably would have done a fine job of saving your mother's life had he_, _in fact,_ been there_," Klaus spat at the male vampire.

Caroline turned to the vampire behind her, unsure of what to think.

"Where were you?" she asked.

Klaus stepped out from behind her, approaching Earl. "Answer her, mate. Come on, tell her what was more important than her mother's _life_."

Earl's petrified eyes shifted reluctantly from the Original to the blonde female looking at him uncertainly.

"I was having a beer," he confessed ashamedly.

Caroline gasped. Klaus was grinning maniacally the way he did whenever somebody was about to get murdered.

"Terrific, isn't it?" he asked her.

She was scared. She was scared of Klaus and she was scared for Earl, but most of all, she wanted to go check on her mother.

"Klaus I have to go. My mom – "

"You're going to dole out justice here, Caroline."

It was a command. It made her blood run cold.

"What?"

"I'm going to un-compel Earl here and then you're going to drive a stake through his heart."

He said it so easily. Like he wasn't setting up a death match for her.

She took a step back and suddenly he was right in front of her, staring her down.

"Your _mother_, Caroline," Klaus emphasised and she knew he was thinking about what they had talked about last night.

But she pushed up her chin. She wasn't going to let him manipulate her.

"That guy doesn't deserve to die because he made one mistake, Klaus."

"One mistake that could have left you an orphan," Klaus reminded.

She gulped. The thought was scary, but that's all it was: a thought. She still had a mother to go home to. And she was sure that that guy had someone to go back to too.

"You said yourself that she's fine. That's all that matters."

Klaus' eye began to twitch as he stared down at her. She sighed in an attempt to calm him.

"Just let him go so we can do the lesson," she rationalised.

"No!" he exclaimed, whooshing away to stand behind Earl. "_This_ is the lesson, Caroline. And you either kill Earl or I'll do it myself," he said, his fangs dropping as his eyes turned the brilliant gold that usually made her breath catch.

Except now it also made her stomach drop.

She couldn't believe he was forcing her into this. She didn't kill unless she had to. He knew that.

But she also knew the rules of their agreement. And if she didn't do this, then it was over.

"I'm going to find my mother," she uttered, disgusted, as she turned away.

* * *

"Hey you," Liz smiled as she breezed into Caroline's room.

"Mom!"

Caroline rushed up with superhuman speed, pulling her mother into her arms and hugging her tightly.

"Where were you today?" she questioned.

"Oh yes, I heard that you came by the office. I was doing the rounds."

"The rounds?" Caroline asked curiously, pulling away a little.

"Yeah, the Council feels better if some properties in town get checked out regularly. It was me and Phil's turn today."

Caroline went to sit on her bed, looking at her mother closely. "Are you ok?"

Liz frowned deeply, stepping nearer to her daughter. Then her eyes widened in realisation. "You heard."

"That you almost died today? Yeah," Caroline retorted.

"I'm fine, Caroline."

Liz smiled and rubbed a hand over her daughter's head, smoothing down her long golden locks.

"You weren't going to tell me?"

Lis sighed and sat down beside Caroline. "It's my job, baby. My life is in danger every day."

Caroline nodded slowly. "I know. It's just… you really could have died today. It wasn't a possibility or some random potential danger. If Officer Tom hadn't dived in front of you, you would've died."

"Not much faith in the Mystic Falls surgical team, huh?" Liz joked but the other blonde didn't crack so much as a smile.

Caroline looked up at her mother with dull eyes. "I almost lost you once and it was the scariest twenty seconds of my life. I can't… I can't imagine that really happening, Mom."

Liz made a tutting noise before pulling her daughter into her side. Caroline thought about how she wouldn't have a choice but to deal with it, someday.

One day, her mother would die. She would spend an eternity without the woman who had created her.

But that only meant that she was more desperate to cling to the time she did have with her mother now.

"It won't. Today wasn't my day, Caroline. All we can do now is hope Tom pulls through."

Caroline frowned. "How is he?"

Liz sighed deeply. "He was in critical condition when I went to the hospital an hour ago. But the doctors seemed hopeful."

Caroline couldn't believe that until this moment she hadn't spared a thought for the man who had jumped in front of a bullet to save her mother. Now she realised that she wanted to go see him.

"Do you know what room he's in?"

* * *

**I understand. Glad your mom's OK.**

Caroline smiled down at Tyler's message before eying the hospital for someone who looked like a doctor she could trust.

"Hi, Caroline," a doctor Caroline didn't know greeted her when she got to the ICU.

"Doctor!" Caroline smiled, hoping the woman didn't realise that Caroline had no idea who she was.

But the doctor smiled back, unaware. "What are you doing here?"

"Um, I was hoping to see Officer Tom?"

The doctor frowned and was about to reply when she was interrupted by Meredith Fell, coming up behind her.

"Caroline, hey! Jill, I can help Caroline."

Jill nodded and the two women watched her scurry off before Meredith turned to Caroline. "I assume you're here about Tom?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

Meredith shrugged. "I heard he saved your mother."

Caroline nodded vigorously. "I wanted to come check on him, make sure he was comfy, see if I could do anything..."

Meredith frowned. "So you haven't been here yet then?"

"What do you mean?"

"Tom left a few minutes ago, miraculously healed. Most people here have practically been converted, but I know better."

Caroline's eyes widened as she stepped closer to Meredith. "Are you saying a vampire gave him their blood?" Caroline whispered.

"Yeah, I thought it might have been you."

Caroline stepped back, surveying the hospital as her mind wandered. Truth be told, the healing properties of her own blood hadn't even crossed her mind. She'd just wanted to see the man responsible for her mother still being alive.

"No, it wasn't."

Meredith looked a little confused but nodded slowly. "Well Tom left here thanking us profusely but since we both know that medicine had nothing to do with it, would you mind passing on his thanks if you find out who did _help _him?"

Caroline faltered but then smiled brightly.

"Yeah. Sure."

* * *

Caroline was greeted with the amazing smell of home cooking when she walked into her house. She smiled. It wasn't often that Sheriff Forbes cooked but when she did it was usually one of about five meals.

Still, those five meals were awesome. Laying down her keys, Caroline stepped into the kitchen where her mother was just getting off the phone.

"Do I smell Chicken a la King?" Caroline asked excitedly.

Liz put her phone on the counter before turning to her daughter slowly.

"Caroline, I need to talk to you about something."

"Not coming home before the food's ready?" Caroline joked but Liz didn't laugh.

"Did you give Officer Tom your blood?" Liz asked seriously, coming straight to the point.

Caroline frowned. Her mother seemed upset. "No, why?"

"Do you know who did?"

"Mom, _why_?"

Liz sighed. "The Council doesn't want vampires interfering in any human business, Caroline. We can only live in peace if we stay out of each other's way."

"So what if it _had_ been me?"

Her mother glared strictly. "Then I would have had a talk with you which hopefully would've prevented you from having to appear in front of the Council."

Caroline folded her arms. "So the Council's pretty hardcore after all."

Liz sighed. "Do you know who did it or not?"

Caroline shrugged. "I don't. But it could have been Klaus."

"Klaus?"

"Yeah, he thinks it's his responsibility to keep us safe or something," Caroline replied, rolling her eyes.

"Us?"

"You and me."

Liz's eyebrow shot up, but she nodded approvingly. "I can't say I disagree with anyone trying to keep you safe."

Caroline scoffed. Her mother would probably think differently if she knew what Klaus had wanted her to do today.

"Yeah well you might not approve of his methods," she muttered bitterly.

Liz frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Caroline froze, struggling for a way to cover her mistake. No way could she tell her mother about today.

"Klaus has vampires watching us, to protect us."

Liz's face was unreadable. "Oh."

She turned to face the stove, stirring inside a pot.

"'Oh'? Just oh?"

"What do you expect me to say?"

"I don't know, that it's an invasion of our privacy, that he doesn't have any right to do that, that vampires can't be trusted? Something," Caroline mumbled.

Liz sighed again. "Like I said, I'm not going to disapprove of anything that keeps you safe."

"…But?"

"But I'm more interested in _why _he's so protective of you."

Caroline shifted in her seat. This was so not a conversation she wanted to be having with her mother. Or anyone, for that matter.

"I don't know," she tried.

"Or why he's giving me multi-million dollar necklaces for Christmas."

"He has a thing for you?" Caroline suggested.

Liz glared. "I'd say he has a thing for _one _of us."

Caroline threw up her hands. "Ugh, Mom, I really don't need this right now."

"I'm not going to give you a speech, Caroline. Just remember, he may seem like a good guy and he probably is somewhere deep down. But you know what he is."

Caroline looked down at her lap. Did she, though?

And if she did, was it the same thing everybody else thought he was?

"He's charming and sweet, but that man is broken and he will destroy you," her mother warned.

_Or maybe I'll help fix him, _Caroline couldn't help thinking.

She shook it off, pasting on a smile. "Mom, it's not like we're dating or anything. There's no need to worry."

"Really?" Liz asked suspiciously.

"Really. He's just… teaching me how to protect myself, that's it."

_And now there wasn't even that._

* * *

Elijah smiled as Katerina curled into him, laying her head down onto his chest. He ran a thoughtful hand down her slim body.

Perhaps any other couple may have found boredom in their current activity; however, Elijah felt nothing save sincere joy and he was certain Katerina shared his sentiments.

He had waited five hundred years for this. She had spent those five hundred years running for her life, becoming somebody else as she strove to survive his brother's ever-pursuing revenge.

So he felt content just to hold her to him.

"Do you remember the day we met?" he asked her suddenly.

Katherine smiled. "Klaus' birthday party in 1492, how could I forget?" She slid her hand into his neck. "Your hair was longer."

Elijah laughed. "It was."

"Do you miss it?" she asked after a few moments.

He smirked. "The hair?"

Now Katherine laughed. "Then."

Elijah sighed as he thought about her question. "It was simpler, in a way. But we have come a long way, Katerina."

Katherine was still for a second before she sighed heavily. "And yet your brother still wants my blood."

Elijah stroked her hair, seeking to comfort the woman he loved.

"We must be patient with Niklaus."

"He killed my entire family and has been hunting me for five hundred years," Katherine bit out. "How much more does he need?"

Elijah did not reply. He had no answer.

"I owe you an apology," he said instead.

Katherine frowned. "Why?"

"I should have told you then about Niklaus' plan and that I intended on saving your life. And I should have fought harder to do so. I allowed my misplaced loyalty to cloud my judgement. Instead it was Trevor who told you and you ran, invoking Niklaus' wrath."

Katherine listened then pulled away, sitting up. "And yet your loyalty remains with him."

"Katerina – "

"Especially when you tell that story and still give yourself all the blame."

She turned to stare out the window. This conversation wasn't leading anywhere good. All it brought back was the overwhelming stench of blood as she ran into her family home to find swords driven into their hearts. Even now the memory made her sick to her stomach.

A hand at her back.

"Katerina I will not repeat my past mistakes. My brother may have my loyalty but be assured that it is you who has my heart."

A tiny smile ghosted over her face for a moment before her hard back faltered slightly when another memory came back to her.

"The other day… he didn't touch me after I mentioned you."

Elijah's eyes turned pensive. "I believe he is attempting to keep the peace."

"For how long?" she asked, her back still to him.

He sighed heavily. "Unfortunately there is no telling. For as long as is convenient, I would imagine."

Katherine let a small humourless laugh escape her lips. "In other words for the rest of my sad human life I get to wonder whether today is the day that Klaus decides to exact his revenge."

He didn't confirm or deny so she shook her head bitterly. "I'm the perfect pawn in the twisted little game he's always playing with you."

She ran her hand through her own thick curls. Sometimes she couldn't believe she'd gotten herself involved with this immeasurably screwed up family. Sometimes she wished that she'd been born in some other time, perhaps a few centuries later when maybe she could have met Stefan and lived a normal apple-pie human life with him. She could have lived and died without ever knowing the ecstasy of vampirism and then the incredible humiliation of it being ripped away as she'd once again had to learn to adapt to the banality of humanity.

And yet, at her back lay a man who made it all worth it. Being here, with Elijah, finally with a hope for real happiness with the first man she'd ever loved made it _worth it_.

She laughed again. "Trust me to get involved with both the most powerful and dysfunctional family on the planet."

Elijah smiled at her back. "There is no one quite like you, my love." Then, after a light pause, he added: "Not even your doppelganger."

That made her smile and bite her lip, as she turned back around to him.

"I thought you liked _perky little Elena_," she said with a smirk, lowering herself to him.

"I do," he stated honestly as she regarded him with a raised eyebrow. "And I love _you_."

Katherine's smirk transformed into a bashful little smile as she tried to hide how much his words meant to her.

He was the one person her shadow self hadn't managed to dig her annoying little claws into.

"I love you too," she said, before swiftly putting her lips to his.

Elijah returned her kiss, working his hand through the thick mass of her glossy dark curls.

When they broke away from each other his hands gently caressed her slight jawbones as he cocked his head.

"I just wish that you would let me take you off this property," he pleaded for what was certainly not the first time.

Katherine cocked her head too, looking down at him with a raised brow. "Hmmm-hmm. You're lucky I even let you visit; don't push it."

Elijah laughed loudly, having grown accustomed to his love's sense of humour. She smiled at him lovingly before sinking her lips to his once more. Elijah's eyes fluttered closed as he pulled her head closer, seeking more of her.

After a few moments of deep kissing Elijah spun them over and Katherine smirked as she pulled away, her hands slipping beneath the lapels of his jacket.

"Let's get you out of that sexy suit, shall we?"

* * *

I ended up not writing it in, but in my mind at the end here, Damon totally rolled his eyes downstairs and went "Ugh they're at it again". Ha. Vampire hearing is so awkward.

Let me know what you thought :)

Lyrics are from _All of Me _by _John Legend _again. This song just gives me so many Klaroline feels and also these lyrics for this chapter will make much more sense laaaaater.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17: If it comes back**

_You may be a sinner _

_But your innocence is mine_

Caroline stared up at the ceiling, exhaling a deep breath as the front door downstairs slammed closed.

"Why are we in Damon's bed?" she was finally able to ask.

"I'm avoiding him," Elena replied.

"That was him leaving though, right?"

"Uh-huh," Elena replied distractedly. "You know, I can't believe you're actually ditching Klaus."

Caroline winced at Elena's phrasing before surreptitiously glancing at the clock. Technically she still had half an hour to go before she would officially be spending her first afternoon in two weeks Klaus-free.

But that was the last thing she wanted to be talking about right now.

"And I can't believe _you're_ avoiding your boyfriend. In his own bed of all places."

Elena shrugged. "He knows I'm avoiding him so it's the last place he'd look."

Caroline shook her head in amusement as they both climbed off the Salvatore's giant bed.

"Well why are you avoiding him anyway?"

Elena sighed. "He wants to talk about me staying here every weekend."

"You mean drive back from Whitmore every week?"

"Yip," Elena affirmed.

Caroline's nose wrinkled. "That's a lot of driving."

"Damon's up for it," Elena replied, pulling a face.

They made their way down the staircase. Seeing as Damon had evidently taken his search for Elena townwide, they could go downstairs and have some breakfast.

"So why don't you want to do it?" Caroline asked as casually as possible.

Being both Stefan and Elena's friend meant that she often had to skirt the line between relationship advice for her BFF and overt rooting for Stefan.

"I don't know, I guess it's a mix of things. You and I already don't get to spend that much time because of all our work. And weekends are usually great for finishing up essays, which I probably won't be doing if I'm spending three hours driving back and forth. Plus being here would make me feel pressured into spending time with Damon and Jeremy."

"Hmmm," Caroline agreed, "it's not very practical."

"Exactly, which is so weird because Damon is usually _all _about practicality."

They entered the kitchen, which Caroline realised she'd never actually been in before. It was bigger but more traditional than her own, though definitely had nothing on Klaus' kitchen.

"Who knew Damon was so clingy?" she thought out loud. Suddenly she gasped. "What if he's jealous? I heard about you and Stefan's _bonding time_," she suggested, wiggling her eyebrows.

Elena rolled her eyes. "Damon doesn't get jealous. Besides, he knows better than to be jealous about _Stefan_." She turned to the fridge. "Omelettes or waffles?"

Caroline raised an eyebrow. "The Salvatores own a waffle iron?"

"I was as surprised as you are."

Caroline giggled. "Waffles."

Elena nodded in approval before beginning to pull out ingredients.

"So you figure Damon knows better than to be jealous of your _first true love_?" Caroline asked sarcastically with a raised brow.

Elena froze after placing down the milk and eggs, then rubbed a finger over her eyebrow as realisation dawned. "I should probably talk to him."

"Yeah," Caroline agreed.

"Thanks, Care."

"No prob, you know I'm the love guru," Caroline joked, winking playfully.

Elena laughed as she began to put together the batter. "Are you and Tyler ok?" she asked suddenly.

"Yeah," Caroline frowned. "Why?"

"I don't know, you just seem a little… sad," Elena finished off uncertainly.

"How did you become such an expert on my moods?" Caroline shot back teasingly.

"It might have something to do with the fact that we've been friends our entire lives," Elena laughed.

Caroline faked a smile back before turning away, presumably to get out plates and utensils, but mostly it was to hide her face as she bit her lip uncertainly.

Tyler was definitely not the man she was sad about. But she didn't even want to spare a thought for who _was_ responsible for the strange pit in her stomach.

Thinking of Originals…

Both women internally groaned when they heard approaching footsteps.

"Breakfast, great! I'm starving," Katherine announced throatily as she walked into the kitchen, trailing Elijah behind her by the hand.

"Caroline, hello," Elijah said in surprise. "What a pleasure," he smiled.

"Can't say the same," Katherine hissed, mostly under her breath.

It made Caroline smirk before she returned Elijah's greeting. He greeted Elena too and she smiled back passively.

"Hey, Elena," Katherine suddenly broke the resulting slightly awkward silence, "could you come up and look at something? I'd ask Elijah but he doesn't know this old house as well as you do."

Caroline almost laughed when she saw Elena's responding face. She looked like she wanted to tell Katherine exactly where to shove an old house.

Except she wouldn't do that with Elijah in the room so she sighed heavily before agreeing.

"We'll be right back, handsome," Katherine winked, untangling her hand from the Original's.

Caroline and Elijah watched the doppelgangers disappear as they ascended the staircase before Elijah turned to her.

"Caroline, I was hoping to have a word outside with you, would that be alright?"

Always so polite. And outside too, so Elena wouldn't hear. Caroline couldn't exactly turn that down.

"Sure," she agreed, though a little reluctantly.

He led her outside and around the Boarding House before turning to her.

"How are you, Caroline?"

"I'm ok," she answered honestly. "How are you?"

"Very well, thank you," he replied, though to her he seemed pretty worried.

His next words, accompanied by a deep frown, proved her right. "I believe you and my brother had a falling out?"

Caroline splayed her hands out on the legs of her jeans nervously. She really didn't want to be talking to Elijah about this.

Then again, was there anybody else she _could _talk to about it?

"Yeah," she replied unhelpfully.

Elijah didn't seem discouraged. "I have an idea about what it may concern and I would very much appreciate the opportunity to…" he took a deep breath as he considered his word choice, "shine some light on my brother's actions."

Caroline shoved her hands in into her pockets. She had the feeling that she would never be able to deny Elijah anything. He was just too darn polite.

"Sure, go ahead."

He smiled in sincere gratitude before his face became sombre. "I would like to share with you something Niklaus once told me. It was five hundred years ago but it has always stuck with me. Perhaps less because of the truth of the statement and more because it taught me something about my brother."

Caroline nodded interestedly, encouraging him to continue.

"He told me that love is a vampire's greatest weakness. And that we are _not _weak."

Her heart leapt into her throat for a second as she remembered her confession to Klaus two nights ago.

He thought love was weakness.

It made sense, really. No matter the vulnerability he showed when she was around, at the end of the day he was still the evil hybrid who went about ruining lives.

He'd made that clear to her yesterday.

And of course that man would see something like love as a weakness. The knowledge stung strangely even thought it was only logical.

Caroline gulped. "Why are you telling me this?"

Elijah looked down at the grass for a second before making eye contact again. "Caroline, my brother thrives on power. Weakness is not something that comes organically to him. He goes to often extreme lengths to stave it off."

She nodded, understanding what Elijah was trying to tell her. She was making Klaus weak. Maybe that's what yesterday had been: him trying to push her away.

She began to feel uncomfortable under Elijah's intense gaze.

"While, as I said, I certainly do not take his words as gospel, as a vampire who has spent the past thousand years preserving my own life and the lives of my family members, I can say that there is some measure of truth to his statement." He breathed. "And the way I see it, as I can only guess is the manner in which Niklaus must view it too, is that there is only one way love cannot make you weak."

She frowned, waiting for his next words with bated breath.

"And that is by making the one you love as strong as you."

Caroline's eyes widened in realisation. Elijah thought that that was what Klaus was trying to do: make her stronger so he wouldn't be weakened by his feelings for her.

Was he right? Had yesterday actually just been a really weird manifestation of Klaus trying to pull her closer; to establish her significance in his life? He wasn't like any other man, after all. He showed love in strange ways… didn't he? She couldn't be sure.

But she blinked rapidly, trying to find a response. "I-I… Thank you," she settled on.

Elijah bowed his head slightly, smiling hopefully. Her heart sped as her mind raced. Then she made her decision – like there'd ever been any other on the table.

"Elijah, would you mind apologising to Elena for me? I have to go."

Elijah smiled in clear approval of her choice before nodding. "Of course, Caroline."

He was making his way back to the house when she made him turn back.

"Elijah." She met his steady eyes. "Why did you tell me that?"

Elijah eyes creased as he smiled at her genuinely. "I love my brother, Caroline. And since your entry into his life he has been… different. I could not stand to see him revert to the hopeless man he once used to be."

She nodded, struck breathless by his confession as he strode away, one hand in his pocket.

* * *

Caroline parked in the Mikaelson driveway, her heart hammering against her chest as she wondered what on earth had possessed her to come over here. Ok, yes, Elijah had said some pretty significant things but –

_Damnit, Forbes, stop being such a coward!_

Huffing at her own bossy thoughts, Caroline climbed out of her car and made her way into the mansion nervously. She had no idea how this would even play out.

Should she apologise? Scold at him some more? Tell him about what Elijah had told her?

Aimlessly she followed the sounds of Klaus' heavy breathing, ending up in a large room towards the rear of the house. There she was all too suddenly faced with a shirtless Klaus doing a salmon ladder workout in the Mikaelson gym.

Great. Now she had to deal with a sweaty shirtless Klaus. That was all she needed to be added to everything else that she was already nervous about.

A look of candid surprise crossed Klaus' face when he caught sight of her. "Caroline," he whispered in disbelief as he dropped down.

She cleared her throat, trying to keep her attention away from his abs and torso covered in a light sheen of sweat and his low-slung track pants.

"Hey," she responded simply.

He didn't approach her, allowing a silence to settle around them. Neither noticed it as they both languidly took in the other. Maybe, after all the time they'd spent together, they each still needed a sort of mental preparation or maybe they'd just been so prepared _not _to see each other today, but either way they both needed the moment of acclimation.

"You didn't come last night," she said finally.

His lip quirked a bit. "I didn't think you'd want me to."

Caroline folded her arms. "You were right."

_But I missed you._

"I thought you wouldn't be coming today," he said, forehead creased.

"You're on a roll," she replied a little meaner than she'd intended, so she turned away.

She began making her way around, exploring this massive room she hadn't even known existed. Then again, of course the Mikaelson mansion had a giant gym. Thinking of MTV Cribs, she suddenly wondered if there was a giant private cinema or if Klaus had a room just for his shoes.

The thought almost made her giggle.

"Then what changed your mind?" he asked eventually.

His voice was still so strangely muted, like he was in awe of her presence, or perhaps scared she would explode.

Suddenly she realised that she wouldn't tell him about what Elijah had said. She didn't want him to know that she understood. She felt like he'd want it that way anyway.

Neither of them liked pity.

So she changed the course of the conversation.

"What you did wasn't right," she asserted, turning back to face him.

He shrugged. "That's relative."

"I only kill when it's necessary, Klaus. You know that."

Normally she would have screamed that, but instead her tone had grown hushed to match his tenor.

Something flashed in his eyes.

A shiver ran down her spine as she became aware that she dealing with the unpredictable Klaus again.

"Are you sure about that, love? What about sweet Katerina?" he asked, watching her closely.

"That… that was different," she tried, but there was no point. He had her.

"You asked me to teach you to protect yourself." He spread his arms helplessly. "I can't do that if you're unwilling to cause harm," he finished, his voice finally rising.

"I staked Rebekah, I fight you! Yesterday was different; he really would have died!"

"And you don't think that could have been a lesson? Remorse on the battlefield will get you nowhere, sweetheart," he spat.

She was unused to this distance between them. Usually he got into her personal space, unwittingly teasing her with the effect his very physical presence had on her. Now he remained on the other side of the room, not taunting her with his scent or hypnotic eyes.

"Let's get to the crux of the matter, darling," Klaus began dangerously. "What exactly did you come here to say?"

The quick retort she'd prepared evaporated beneath the weight of his question. She didn't have an answer.

When he was met with silence, he smirked at her. "It's simple, really. Either you want to continue with our lessons or you don't." He stepped nearer to her. "We had a deal, Caroline. I warned you of my conditions."

He was right. His condition had been that she'd do everything he told her to, up to and including 'dabbling in the dark side'. He'd made it clear that it was all or nothing and she'd agreed. A deal she'd probably made too hastily and in the heat of the moment just like too many other things she did, but she'd agreed all the same.

And she could pull out, that would be easy. Right now she could walk away; stick the finger to the big bad hybrid because he didn't control her, not by a long shot. But if he called her bluff – because that's what it would be – then she wasn't sure that she could spend the next week's worth of afternoons without him.

She sighed deeply. "Fine."

"Fine, what?" he hissed, suddenly behind her.

She spun around, her heart jumping into her throat. Damn him.

And yet still he kept his distance, watching her carefully.

"You're right, we had a deal."

He nodded. "And I kept my side of the bargain."

She looked down at her nails, then back up at him as Elijah's words rolled through her mind.

_There is only one way love cannot make you weak and that is by making the one you love as strong as you._

"I'll do whatever you want me to from now on," she promised.

She wanted to be strong. It didn't really matter whom it was for.

She couldn't deny that the thought of being as strong as Klaus tantalised her.

A pleasant surprise filled his face again, before he smiled sheepishly. "For my part I suppose I should not have sprung it on you."

Caroline smiled too, knowing it was his strange version of an apology.

She broke the ensuing awkward moment by going over to a table in the corner of the room. It held a juicer and an assortment of fruit, as well as a juicer recipe book. She felt sure it was only here for show; she couldn't imagine any of the Mikaelsons ever using any of this.

She flipped through the pages of the recipe book, not really taking any of it in. Except, _oh_, there was a Strawberry-Mango crush and it looked amazing. _Ok, focus, Caroline._

"What happened to Earl?" she asked, almost not wanting to know the answer.

"I expect he succumbed to a bright light sometime this morning after a long night of hallucinations and laboured breathing," he replied cruelly.

"You bit him," she comprehended.

"I _killed _him," he corrected her.

This time his low voice came from directly behind her, his breath wafting into her ear.

A shiver went down her spine once more. She knew what he wanted her words to remind him of.

_I don't deserve to have found my real father. I probably would have killed him too._

Stop pushing me away, she wanted to say.

But she couldn't with her back to him and turning around was too dangerous.

"How was your mother?" he asked sincerely.

"She was ok. Speaking of which, Officer Tom wanted to pass on his thanks."

There was a beat and for a second she thought he might deny it but then he sighed.

"It was the least I could do."

Caroline breathed. "She's isn't your responsibility, Klaus."

He didn't reply and she so badly wanted to spin to face him. The heat from his body piercing through the thin fabric of her shirt was driving her insane.

"Was it about her or me?" she asked, surprising him.

He desperately wanted to reach out a finger just to touch her. And for a second he almost did, his index finger just shying away from the soft skin at her elbow.

"Why can it not be both?" he asked rhetorically.

For the second time she found herself thinking that maybe, _maybe_ this man who protected her mother because he actually cared for her, could fit into Caroline's life after all.

"So what now?" she asked.

Klaus backed up, shrugging. "I wasn't expecting you so I didn't prepare a lesson."

Turning around, she bit the corner of her lip. "So let's just hang out then," she announced happily, giving him her trademark ecstatic Caroline smile.

* * *

"I can't believe we're cooking together again."

"_You _said you were hungry, love," he reminded her as he scattered the smoked salmon into the pan of egg.

Caroline laughed. "I meant that as a good thing, Klaus."

He turned back to the stove to hide his pleased reaction.

"I think the onions could do with a stir," he suggested.

She joined him at the stove but only to elbow him in the arm. "I'm very well aware of how to caramelise onions, thank you very much."

He grinned. "Hmm-mm."

She scoffed. "Those are going to be the best caramelised onions you have ever had, Mr Mikaelson!"

His eyes creased as he smiled at her.

"And your egg is burning," she added haughtily.

He looked shocked before hastily moving the spatula through the egg some more.

"So that's your strategy? Distract me so the eggs will be as burnt as the onions?"

She gasped in horror. "My onions are _not _burning!"

He laughed at her adorable reaction before sprinkling some cheese over the egg and sticking the pan into the oven.

She appreciatively watched him bend over, the muscles in his stomach pulling taut as he crouched. She liked watching him cook to begin with, but him being shirtless just made the experience ten times better.

Before they'd headed downstairs he'd offered to take a shower or pull on a shirt but her and her grumbling stomach had protested and now she was reaping the benefits of him actually listening.

"That's going to be done in a few minutes," he warned, straightening up.

"By which time the onions will be done," she assured.

He gave her a mockingly uncertain look to which she just rolled her eyes as he reached for plates.

Queue more staring at his muscles. Ok maybe she was being a total pervert here, but it wasn't totally her fault, the guy had a nice back. And biceps and triceps and neck and… god.

She turned back to the stove, finally stirring her onions mostly just to keep from blushing.

After placing their plates on the countertop Klaus bent down by the oven to check on the pan and she resolved not to stare again. She made it too. For a whole five seconds, anyway.

Ugh, why did he have to be so annoyingly good-looking?

"Onions are done," she announced triumphantly one she'd managed to drag her eyes away.

"Just in time," he grinned as he pulled the pan from the oven.

Caroline smiled when his forehead creased cutely as he intently concentrated on arranging the onions artfully on top of the frittata.

"Be a love and grab the parsley, would you?" he asked politely.

She wrinkled her nose. "I hate parsley."

He shook his head in amusement then looked at her for a second, considering. "Basil?"

"Yes," she agreed, going over to the fridge to find it.

The fridge was almost hilariously organised. In fact she felt pretty sure that the Mikaelson's maid had OCD because the shelves were arranged by colour, with each foodstuff in identical airtight containers, and no colour touched any other colour.

And as much as she wanted to giggle, she was also beyond envious.

"Basil," she repeated, handing it over to him.

He expertly began breaking it and then arranged it on the frittata.

"We can eat now, right?"

"I can't believe that I went from possible waffles to a smoked salmon frittata with caramelised onions," she said wondrously when she was halfway through her plate.

Klaus smirked. "Is that a good kind of disbelief?"

She didn't know whether it was un-gentleman-like to eat shirtless or something, but Klaus had gone to pull on a top, promising her he'd only be a few seconds. Damn vampire speed.

"Duh," she laughed.

"Hmmm," he agreed thoughtfully.

When a few minutes had passed without conversation, Klaus frowned. That was very unlike the blonde.

Sure enough, Caroline was chewing but her mind was a million miles away.

"What are you thinking of?" Klaus asked, breaking her out of her trance.

She turned to him guiltily, biting her lip. "Tyler," she answered.

He almost growled, wishing he hadn't asked.

She rushed to explain: "I was supposed to have lunch with him yesterday but I blew him off and now I'm having it with you today instead."

He shrugged. "Well, this is brunch, technically."

"Yeah and that makes it better."

He grinned but he could see that she still seemed troubled.

"Besides, I'm quite sure Tyler reaps plenty of benefits I don't," he stated suggestively.

She thought about her talk with Damon the other day. Her and Tyler hadn't had sex since her first day back, more than two weeks ago.

"Not really," she replied and the second his eyebrows shot skyward she realised her mistake.

_Damnit Forbes. Think before you speak!_

She tried speedily brainstorming a way to cover that up but it was no use, so instead she just cleared her throat and stuck a forkful of the delicious frittata into her mouth.

And he wanted to ask but he knew it was inappropriate so instead they ended up finishing their brunch in silence.

Damn that hybrid of his straight to the deepest pits of hell.

* * *

"You've been baking," Klaus noted as soon as he walked through her door.

"Hybrid smelling is really creepy," she replied teasingly.

He smirked. "Surely you're used to it."

"Nope," she responded lightly, "Tyler isn't a giant show-off," she mocked, winking.

"I'm not one to bury my talents, love," he said with a suggestive raised brow.

She rolled her eyes but couldn't hide her blush so she spun around to the cookie container instead. She busied herself with filling a shallow bowl with the sweet treats before grabbing glasses and the milk.

"Milk?" Klaus asked mockingly.

"They're choc-chip! It's practically illegal not to have some milk with it."

He shook his head in amusement but didn't refuse it when she held a glass out to him.

* * *

"No way!" Caroline exclaimed. "There is _no_ way they hooked up!"

Klaus just shrugged with a small smile on his face as he picked up a biscuit.

They were both on Caroline's bedroom floor, sitting cross-legged opposite each other, separated by their glasses of milk and the bowl of cookies.

"I'm ruining History books for you, aren't I?"

"Uh no, you're making them ten times better!" she exclaimed matter-of-factly.

Caroline couldn't believe that she'd just been given the scoop on two of the biggest historical figures of all time.

Klaus bit his biscuit and smiled as the flavours invaded his tastebuds. He'd known as soon as Caroline had said 'choc-chip' that it could not just be the usual traditional version of the classic American favourite. That was not anywhere near over-achiever enough for the blonde.

"What's this one?" he asked.

She spared a quick glance at the cookie in his hand before answering.

"Triple choc-chip with peanut butter chips." Then she rolled her eyes. "You have to dip it in the milk."

He frowned. "That doesn't seem like a good idea."

Seriously, this guy had not had a proper childhood.

"That's the way it works; trust me on this."

She grabbed her own cookie then demonstrated, dipping it into the milk for a few seconds before taking a bite.

He shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe I'm drinking _milk_."

Caroline shrugged, smiling. "It's always nice to give your liver the day off."

"I'm not an alcoholic, Caroline."

"You've also never had cookies and milk, so quit stalling!" she ordered.

He groaned but reluctantly imitated her action. She watched him with barely-contained excitement as he chewed.

"So?" she asked impatiently.

"It's fantastic," he admitted.

She nodded boastfully. "Told you."

He rolled his eyes at her boasting but didn't deny it as he reluctantly enjoyed the mix of crunchy and soft parts of the biscuit inside his mouth combined with the surprising amount of flavour the milk enhanced.

He cleared his throat after swallowing. "You know, something occurred to me this afternoon."

"Really?" she asked, picking up another cookie. "What?"

"I never did get to watch the end of that movie."

She frowned for a second before realising which he meant. "How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days? That's right, you didn't!"

It probably had a little something to do with the fact that she'd made out with Klaus on his rooftop, but that night the movie had completely slipped her mind, right until now when he'd reminded her.

"If I had it, we could've totally finished it now," she lamented.

That sexy familiar smirk crossed his face. "Well… I still do."

* * *

Caroline switched from her stomach to her back, smiling contentedly as the credits rolled. She loved this movie.

"Good ending," Klaus noted from beside her.

"Yip," she responded simply, still smiling whimsically.

Romantic movies always made her feel light and appreciative of the world and what the power of love could accomplish.

Suddenly she shifted first to the right then to the left with a thoughtful frown.

"You have a really comfortable bed."

Klaus chuckled and she hastened to explain.

"Not that I'm trying to seduce you or anything! It's just, what exactly does a big bad hybrid need such a soft bed for?"

They both considered her words for a second, before she burst out laughing. "Ok so that _totally_ sounded like I'm trying to seduce you but you know what I meant!"

He smiled understandingly before a sly look crossed his face. "All the better to lure you with, my dear."

She raised an eyebrow mockingly. "The Big Bad Wolf, seriously? Nice," she uttered sarcastically.

He only smirked down at her till she sat up and smirked too.

"So that's how you pick up girls, huh?"

Klaus froze as she leaned in close to whisper into his ear, mimicking his voice and accent.

"I have an incredibly soft bed," she murmured tantalisingly.

For a second he forgot she was mocking him.

"I sound nothing like that," he denied, pretending to take offense.

Her laugh rung out around the room as she leaned back onto her elbows.

"I got it spot on!"

"Hmmm."

Staring up at the roof, she smiled at the way he at least pretended to agree with everything she said.

Klaus took the moment to gaze upon the serene blonde beauty. He could never tire of watching her simply be. Of the luxury he was afforded by being able to see that twinkle in her eyes and the slight exquisite features of her face. And then there were the curves of her body, which he…

"You know, you don't have to sit on the floor when you're at my house," Caroline announced suddenly.

He smiled gently at her. "I'm well aware, sweetheart, but it doesn't bother me. Besides, I know you like it," he added, shrugging.

She scowled playfully at him for a few seconds, debating denying that come hell or high water, then relented.

"Ok fine, I do. I feel like a queen when you're at my feet," she replied dramatically, before laughing at herself.

Then she frowned. "How would you even know that, though?"

In reply he only shrugged again and she stared at him suspiciously.

"What?" he asked.

"Sometimes I think you compel me to tell you all my secrets and then compel me to forget."

He laughed, her statement genuinely catching him by surprise. "That's not actually a bad idea, love," he teased.

She lifted her chin. "Well, unfortunately for you, I drink vervain."

Suddenly she rolled off his bed, apparently to explore his bedroom, as he continued to sit on the edge of his bed.

She threw open two doors before letting out a huge gasp.

"Oh my god!"

He sped up behind her, gripped by panic for whatever may have scared her as she stared wide-eyed into his wardrobe.

"You _do _have clothes that aren't black!"

Klaus rolled his eyes but laughed, both in relief and at Caroline's implication.

"I also tend to wear white and grey you know," he informed her laughingly. "Sometimes dark green," he added.

She picked up a mauve cashmere sweater from a shelf before holding it up. "You're wearing this tomorrow."

Klaus smiled at the audacious blonde. Only Caroline would dare tell to tell him what to wear.

She turned back around to stare at the rest his clothes. "You know, I think you owe me something," she started thoughtfully.

Klaus' eyebrow shot up. "Oh? And what's that, hmm?"

She turned back to him, approaching him slowly. If he didn't know any better, he'd think she was trying to appear threatening.

"You thought the movie wasn't going to be good, remember?"

He nodded, remembering the way he had teased her that night.

"So now you get to admit how awesome it was!"

He shook his head, smiling. She really was too adorable.

"It wasn't terrible," he conceded. "And the company wasn't too bad either."

She cocked her eyebrow. That was so not good enough.

"So I'm gonna have to pull it out of you, huh?"

He shrugged and she stepped even closer, invading his personal space.

Perhaps she had her way of threatening him after all.

As soon as their chests touched, Caroline found herself regretting her action but it was too late. All she could do now was make it work to her advantage.

She ducked her head, almost leaning her lips right down onto the skin between his collar bones.

"Could you have imagined this morning that we'd end up here tonight?" she whispered.

For a moment she wasn't playing with him, but simply being honest. This morning she'd thought that whatever relationship they'd built up had gone for good; that their deep connection and understanding had disappeared with each footstep she'd taken away from him and Earl yesterday. Except here she stood before him now – way, way too close – after having spent the entire day together. It was absurd.

For a second she wondered – was there anything they couldn't move past?

Klaus' breath caught. Caroline could have no concept of the things her cool breath on his chest was doing to him.

But the torture was soon evenly shared when he placed a firm hand on her waist, pulling her in even closer.

She lifted her eyes, flicking them between his burning eyes and enticing lips. She took more shallow breaths, already ashamed by her reaction but still helpless to stop it.

It wasn't that she forgot their new 'friends only' pact; it was just that she couldn't care less when they were this close together. It wasn't that she forgot about Tyler; it was just that every nerve in her body wanted nothing more than Klaus' lips on hers.

She brought her head up slowly, positioning it so that their lips just barely grazed.

"Where exactly is 'here'?" Klaus asked breathlessly and she knew the game he was playing at.

When he spoke his lips brushed over hers; there was no escaping it, they were too close.

She felt the burning trickle begin beneath her eyes and the itching in her gums and instinctively knew that the veins would show soon if she didn't say something.

Pulling her head back slightly, she looked him full in the eyes.

"With you admitting that you liked the movie," she replied with a cruel smirk.

His hand slid from her body as he laughed, shaking his head. The spot it vacated protested with an icy shiver.

"I liked the movie, Caroline."

* * *

Klaus was waiting for his brother when Elijah walked into the Mikaelson mansion past midnight. Elijah looked up in surprise when he saw Niklaus standing before him but smiled amiably.

"It was my understanding that the elder sibling 'waits up'," he joked.

"You spoke to Caroline," Klaus stated, confident with his assumption.

Elijah smirked. "And how did you come to that conclusion, brother?"

"I may not approve of your methods, Elijah, but I have come to recognise their results."

"And were they pleasant?" Elijah asked curiously.

Klaus watched his older brother carefully, before taking a deep breath. "Thank you, Elijah."

A small smile began on the elder Mikaelson's face. "Gratitude from Niklaus? She really does have quite an effect on you."

He turned to leave, and Klaus couldn't help the words that next fell from his lips. "I sincerely hope your efforts had no ulterior motive. Because Katerina still has not earned her freedom, no matter how much you may charm Caroline."

Elijah's head fell and even from behind Klaus recognised his brother' shame. It was a reaction he was very familiar with.

"It is a pity that even the most selfless acts, viewed by a selfish man, may still be seen as impure," Elijah stated bitterly. "If you'll excuse me," he said, before leaving the room.

* * *

Soooo :) Heh. Actually, I'm interested to know what stood out most to you about the chapter. I mean, yes, there was the almost-kiss but seeing as it didn't actually happen, there might have been more interesting things to y'all (I for one love the image of them eating cookies on her bedroom floor). As for the kiss, haha I'm really blurring those lines (ugh I hate Robin Thicke for how creepy that sounds to me now) about what counts as their first official kiss for this story, huh? I mean… a brush of the lips… does it count?

Ahem, so Caroline ended up being the one to give in. Honestly, from a writer's standpoint, if one of them didn't, neither was going to organically. Or not for a week at the very least, which unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it) these characters don't have that much time to play around with. Caroline has less than a week of vacation left at this point. Caroline to me was the more sensible choice to stand down because the only person Klaus listens to is her, whereas her opinion can be swayed by people like Elijah. Also Elijah is just so pro that relationship and he's been very invested in it from the beginning that it made sense to me that he'd intervene.

Also, you'll often find this constant theme of almost an inevitability between Klaus and Caroline in this story, I think. Like they cannot stay away from each other, no matter the problem or conflict, they just get sucked back in. And you can interpret that as being because of how much they need/want each other or just because of the real inevitable pull they feel towards each other. Destiny, if you will (or if you believe in that sort of thing).

So, another callback to _I Dare You _with Klaus and Caroline finishing the movie. Honestly, I'd forgotten about it myself until this chapter came about and I was like, 'Hey, they never finished the movie!'. I figured Caroline deserved her moment, what with Klaus doubting her movie-choosing abilities and all, so that's how that happened. As for the maybe-almost-kiss… yip, the strict friendship deal isn't quite as easy as Caroline thought it would be! Also pretty significant is that they moved up from sitting on the chaise opposite Klaus' TV to onto his bed *wiggles eyebrows*

Elijah's last line may seem a little bit of a curveball but I thought it was very Mikaelson of him. The Originals love helping and then tearing each other down right after.

Lyrics are from _Undisclosed Desires _by Muse. I thought they were pretty appropriate since Caroline got Klaus to eat milk and cookies in this chapter, ha.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18: Not a Person in the World Who Loves You**

_Funny you're the broken one but _

_I'm the only who needed_

_Saving_

_Because when you never see the light it's hard to know which one of us is_

_Caving_

"Hey, Caroline!" Elena called out as soon as the blonde entered the house.

"Hi," Caroline replied, smiling. "Where is everybody?"

Before Elena could reply, Damon entered from behind her. "Ok, I have the kid, let's get started before a certain Original shows up again, shall we?"

Caroline smirked when Jeremy trailed behind Damon with his backpack on. He must have been mad that he'd been left out of things thus far and demanded to be part of the next meeting. Even if he'd had to grovel at Elena's feet to be able to leave school for a bit so he could be.

Damon continued in right past the blonde, telling Caroline everything she needed to know about how they were going to be dealing with their previous conversation: by completely ignoring that it had ever happened. It was a relief to Caroline. Considering what Damon knew, she preferred things this way.

Jeremy turned to Caroline. "Hey."

"Hi, Jeremy," Caroline replied chipperly, grinning.

"How are you?" Jeremy asked, frowning.

Confused, Caroline glanced around the room, noticing Elena staring at them interestedly. "I'm great, why?" she answered hastily.

Jeremy frowned doubtfully before also catching sight of Elena watching them. He quickly moved, allowing both of them to join Elena and the Salvatores in the lounge.

"Hey, Jeremy, Caroline," Stefan greeted.

Caroline grinned at her friend as she sat down before her cell went off. Frowning, she pulled it out to see a text from Jeremy.

**Are you sure you're OK?**

Caroline hadn't had the time to think the question through before another rapid-fire text was delivered.

**Bonnie's worried about you.**

Caroline's heart dropped into her stomach. Of course Bonnie was worried about her, after everything she'd confessed to her friend. Still, the last thing she needed was for Jeremy, Elena or anybody else to find out about all that.

"If the _kids _could put their phones away, we can get started," Damon stated in annoyance, glaring at Caroline and Jeremy.

She glared right back before re-placing her p hone in her pocket. Jeremy would have to wait for that reply. She didn't even know what she would say yet.

"Elena and I checked up on the stiffs from Cleveland. And, surprise surprise, we got nothing," Damon sighed. "None of the victims knew each other or lived near one another. They all disappeared from completely different places with no eyewitnesses. In other words, we're still at square one," he ended off, frustration written all over his face.

"So somebody massacred sixty-two people and we have no idea whatsoever about who did it or why?" Jeremy caught himself up.

"That would be the gist of it, yes," Damon bit out.

Stefan cleared his throat before speaking up. "Katherine gave me a list of about twenty names so far that she thought could be responsible for something like this. I've gotten about halfway through and none of them could have done it for various reasons," he informed the room.

Caroline swallowed. "And you checked on Silas, right?"

Damon nodded. "Yip, he's still safely tucked away in my family's tomb," he spat disgustedly.

"Damon you have got to get over that," Elena rolled her eyes.

Caroline shared an amused smile with the brunette. Damon could be so petty sometimes.

"What about you, Barbie? Get anything out of Klaus?"

Caroline frowned. "No? Was I supposed to?"

"Well you spend the most time with him out of all of us, you may as well make yourself useful!"

Caroline rolled her eyes. "He didn't tell my anything." She shrugged. "I get the feeling Klaus deals with his own enemies."

Damon shook his head as he poured himself a drink. "Doesn't matter. From now on you're on Klaus-duty."

Caroline huffed but Damon took no notice.

"What about Tyler?"

She turned to glare at him from his spot at the drinks table. "What _about _Tyler?"

Damon sighed like he had to do all the thinking. "Did he say anything? Everybody knows that wolf of yours likes to cause trouble, Barbie."

Caroline folded her arms as she sat back in her seat. As annoyed as she was with Damon right now, this situation was familiar to her. Klaus and Tyler had been intrusions last time, which was why as much suspicion hadn't been thrown at them then. But now that it was just their usual group Damon could throw out conspiracy theories to his heart's content.

"I don't know," she shrugged.

Everybody stared at her wordlessly and she felt the sudden need to explain.

"We haven't talked in a while."

And as true as it was, it probably hadn't been the best thing to say, especially when Elena already thought her relationship was in trouble.

But Damon saved her.

"Ooh, kinky," he said, wiggling his eyebrows.

Caroline blushed but he continued.

"Anyway, that puts you on Tyler-duty too."

"Seriously?"

Damon shrugged. "It's not our fault you spend all your time with shady guys."

"I hate you," she muttered.

"I know you do," he winked back at her, before downing his alcohol.

"Are we done here?" Stefan asked.

"Yeah, you can go back to your _Hannibal _marathon Stef; I've gotta get Jeremy back to school. Just keep checking off those Katherine names."

Stefan rolled his eyes at the group to show his annoyance with his brother before speeding off.

"Stefan's watching _Hannibal_?" Caroline asked interestedly.

"He discovered Netflix. I think it's the only series he relates to," Damon teased.

"My lunch break's almost over," Jeremy reminded.

"Ok let's get you back to that prison they call an educational institution," Damon responded before disappearing into the kitchen.

Jeremy rolled his eyes then stood up and pulled his bag back on. Damon re-appeared from the kitchen holding a Tupperware dish.

"Lunch."

Jeremy took it wordlessly and stuffed it into his bag as Caroline bit her lip to keep from laughing. It didn't work.

"You're kidding me. You packed him lunch?"

Damon shrugged. "He came home for his lunch break; can't let him starve. Kid needs his nutrients to grow."

Caroline raised an eyebrow as she pointedly stared at the Gilbert brother who was already buffer than Damon himself.

"I mean that figuratively," Damon added, doing his sideway smile.

"Wow, who knew Damon could be so domestic?" she winked at Elena.

Elena only grinned as she looked on proudly at her boyfriend.

"Yeah, we're thinking of legally adopting the little punk," Damon stated sarcastically.

Jeremy wrinkled his nose at the very idea and Damon smirked. "Don't worry kid, you're more of a little brother than a son to me."

Jeremy grinned as if he'd just received a compliment so of course Damon had to crush his dreams.

"I wouldn't look so happy if I were you, I already have one annoying little brother," Damon explained, before grabbing his car keys.

Jeremy waved at the girls as Damon walked out the front door.

"Eat your lunch!" Elena called out and Caroline faintly heard him agree.

Caroline smirked. "You two really are doing the parenting thing."

Elena smiled, shrugging. "We're trying to do our best." Then she looked at her friend suspiciously. "By the way, what was earlier about? Jeremy seemed really worried about you," Elena elaborated.

"Oh, uh, I don't know," Caroline lied. "Maybe because he hasn't seen me in a while?"

"Hmmm," Elena agreed but she looked unsure.

"Speaking of people not currently in the room, did you talk to Damon?"

"Yeah," Elena replied sheepishly. "We compromised a bit but we're going to do the weekend thing."

Caroline's eyebrows shot up. "Elena, when I said talk to him, I _meant_ get him to take back his crazy idea because you're right."

Elena sighed deeply before settling further into her armchair. "We talked about it and it isn't about Stefan."

"Then what is it about?"

"It's about him, Care." She took a breath before launching into her explanation. "Damon came to Mystic Falls to find Katherine. Then he stayed to help us, then he stayed to help Stefan, then he stayed to protect this town, then he stayed for me." She sighed again. "But now he doesn't really have anything to stay for. He's a hundred and forty-five year old guy who hates small towns, stuck in one doing nothing but looking after his girlfriend's brother while he waits for her to come back from college twice a year."

"Wow. That does sound lame," Caroline winced.

Elena shrugged. "And I miss him too. So we worked something out. We'll alternate second weekends with each other, meaning I'll only have to drive down here once a month. He'll drive up the other time and I'll have two weekends to finish any work."

"Sounds practical," Caroline admitted.

"We can drive down together and you can see Tyler!" Elena finished enthusiastically.

"Yeah," Caroline forced out with as much faked excitement as she could muster.

Elena frowned at her friend but right then her boyfriend walked back in.

"How are you back already?" she glared at Damon. "Are you speeding with Jeremy again?"

"Elena, he had to get back to school stat," he said, as if that made everything better.

"Damon, he's not a vampire, he's not just going to get up and walk away from a car crash."

"Yeah but he's still got that fancy Gilbert ring," Damon countered.

Elena rolled her eyes in annoyance. Sometimes there was just no winning with the elder Salvatore. Damon dropped his keys again before moving his stare to the blonde in the room.

"You know, Barbie, I'm pretty intrigued to know what Ken's been teaching you."

"You mean _Klaus_, and isn't that a shame," Caroline shot back.

He pouted as he threw a light punch at her arm. "Come on, _let's dance_," he said dramatically, putting on the worst accent ever.

"For someone who's supposedly descended from Italians, you sure suck at doing a good impression," she pointed out haughtily.

Damon rolled his eyes. "Come on Blondie," he held out a hand. "What are you, scared?"

Caroline glared at him before turning to Elena for support.

Her friend only shrugged. She wasn't going to be touching this one with a ten-foot pole. Damon was bored and she preferred him sparring inside his own house than going out and draining a few people.

Caroline sighed. "Fine, but any broken furniture is on you."

She stood up, taking a deep breath. This would be fine. She'd fought Klaus pretending to be Damon dozens of times now.

Damon's disadvantages were his predictable moves and underestimation of her. The problem was that his strength was his advantage.

Still. She'd fought _Klaus._ She could handle this.

Damon grinned salaciously which made her all the happier to initialise her first move.

Quickly she kicked out her left leg, hooking it around the back of his knees before pulling forward to get his legs out from under him.

Surprised, he made an 'oof' sound, but he was up again in a second.

Right, Damon also relied on speed. But so had Rebekah.

With a confident smile she faced Damon's ensuing punches. He threw them at lightning speed but she blocked every one. Still, he'd likely be trying a new tactic soon and she had to beat him to it.

His punches were so rhythmic that she knew exactly when to make her next move.

A few milliseconds before she was sure his next punch was coming, she elbowed him in his abdomen with as much strength as she could muster.

Depending on him doubling over in pain, she forced her head upwards, headbutting him in the nose. She smirked when the smell of Damon's fresh blood hit her nostrils.

"Son of a – " Damon began but she was already halfway into her next move.

Her raised elbow slammed into his jaw, a resounding crack echoing along with it.

She took a step back, landing a punch to make him believe they were boxing again but as he prepared to block her next fist she spun around, raising her leg. Her foot hit the centre of his stomach, sending him flying across the room.

He hadn't hit her once.

Elena jumped up, surprise evident on her face. She looked over in her boyfriend's direction. "Damon, you ok?"

Damon groaned before sticking up a hand with a thumbs up.

The girls grinned at each other as Damon pushed himself off the floor and slowly made his way back to them. "Not bad, Blondie," Damon admitted.

"Seriously, Damon? You look like you're holding in your ribs and that's the best you can muster?"

Damon guiltily removed his arm from around his torso then smiled. "Fine, you're pretty good. But let's see how well you do against Elena."

Caroline frowned. Damon was so annoying. "_Why_? I just beat you."

"Exactly. And the winner goes on to the next challenger."

Caroline scowled at Damon, genuinely wondering if she'd perhaps hit him too hard on the head. "Damon. This isn't. A wrestling ring," she said, slow enough for a toddler to get it.

He rolled his eyes. "Come on, Elena already beat you once, let's see how far you've come."

Caroline faced her friend. Damon just _had _to bring that up – her main reason for asking Klaus to train her in the first place. She just hoped Damon couldn't see that he'd managed to press one of her buttons.

For her part, Elena only shrugged again. "I'm up for it if you are."

Caroline turned to glower at Damon. "Only if you'll shut up."

Damon pulled a zipping motion over his mouth before sinking onto the armchair Elena had just vacated.

Caroline took another deep breath before smiling at her friend. "I can't believe we're doing this."

Elena grinned. "Just try not to kill me, ok?"

She was joking, Caroline knew it. Despite what she'd just seen Caroline do to Damon, she still believed in her ability to beat Caroline. Because of that one fight. And though Caroline knew very well that Elena hadn't been in her right mind, she still had to prove Elena wrong.

For herself.

They pulled their arms up into the boxing position as they circled each other, bouncing on the balls of their feet.

Elena feinted but Caroline didn't fall for it.

_"What's the difference between you and Elena?"_

_"She isn't stuck in the woods with an Original asking her annoying questions?"_

Elena's hand pulled back almost imperceptibly and Caroline smiled. Fatal boxing mistake.

Caroline ducked, anticipating the right straight shot and Elena missed.

_"Who trained Elena?"_

_"Ugh, these questions suck. Alaric."_

She shot a flat palm straight into Elena's face, hearing a satisfying crack from her nose. A look of resolution passed the Gilbert's face and Caroline knew this had just gotten serious.

_"And who's training you?"_

_"There's going to be a point to this soon, right?"_

Caroline tried a jab and Elena caught her hand, pulling her fingers over backwards and turning Caroline around. It was like that night Elena had almost killed her all over again. Caroline groaned.

_"Fine, you."_

_"And what's the difference between me and Alaric?"_

_"This sucks so much."_

_"He was human, Caroline."_

Caroline's fangs dropped as she reached behind her to latch her free hand around the back of Elena's neck. She pulled Elena over herself, dropping her to the ground.

Elena swiftly reached out a hand, pulling Caroline to the ground next to her, then took the opportunity to jump up. She glanced down at Caroline and the blonde wasn't sure if she planned on punching or kicking, but she didn't intend on finding out.

Placing her hands behind her, she swung her knees up to her chest, before arching forward to backflip off the floor.

Damon wolf-whistled, impressed.

Caroline ignored him, knocking the surprise right off her friend's face.

As Elena recoiled from the sudden shot, Caroline cartwheeled backwards, kicking Elena in the chin in the process. Elena staggered backwards but didn't fall. Caroline cartwheeled forward this time, performing the same kick again.

Elena bent over, a hand to her wounded face.

_"You're a vampire. Don't hold back."_

Damon watched a strangely cruel smile cross Caroline's face before her foot connected with the back of Elena's bent head. Elena groaned as she fell to the floor.

"Elena, you ok?" Damon asked worriedly.

"Great," Elena bit out, before getting back up.

Caroline was impressed. She thought Elena might have given up by now. But the glint in her friend's eyes told her that now Caroline wasn't the only one with something to prove.

Elena's hands quickly found Caroline's shoulders. Gripping on, she pulled her leg up, kneeing Caroline in the stomach. As Caroline doubled over, Elena brought her knee back up into Caroline's face.

Or at least she planned to.

Caroline smirked, grabbing Elena's calf mid-move and yanking roughly. Caught by surprise, Elena lost her footing, making it even easier for Caroline to use her grip to throw her friend up with as much vampire strength as she could muster. Elena spun in the air and right before she hit the ground, Caroline jumped up, punching Elena squarely on the jaw.

Elena hit the hardwood floors heavily, knocked out.

Caroline took a step back, taking deep breaths as she dusted her hands.

"You win," Elena conceded with a cough, her eyes fluttering open.

Caroline grinned down at her friend before sticking out her hand to help her up. "Need some ice?"

Elena shook her head. "I'll be fine."

She limped over to the sofa, pushing hair out of her face exhaustedly. Damon looked at her worriedly then back to Caroline.

"Ok Barbie, how about another go?" he suddenly asked.

"Seriously?" Caroline exclaimed.

He shrugged. "I was holding back last time."

Caroline raised a doubtful eyebrow.

"Come on," he urged, wiggling his eyebrows.

"You promised to shut up."

"Then make me," he smiled.

Maybe he would've been ready if he'd seen the tiny smirk on the corner of her lips. Maybe.

Caroline sped up to him, landing her elbow right onto his newly-healed nose. Stepping back as he attempted to catch up to what was happening, she raised a long leg and dropped it down onto the side of his head.

To his credit, he didn't double over or drop. Caroline was glad. She wanted to try out her new move.

When Damon's vision had cleared, he looked up but Caroline was no longer in front of him. He spun but she wasn't there either.

He just had the time to register something drop onto his shoulders before Caroline snapped his neck with her thighs.

"Caroline!" Elena admonished, jumping up.

"He wouldn't shut up," Caroline defended herself.

Elena shook her head disapprovingly as she kneeled by Damon's temporarily lifeless body. Caroline glanced down at her watch.

"Oh, shoot, I have to go!"

It was almost noon. She couldn't wait to tell Klaus about this.

"When Damon comes to, tell him Barbie means business," she snapped, before turning on her heel to exit the Salvatores'.

And she couldn't help strutting – she'd just beaten Damon twice and Elena once.

Caroline had jumped up into the rafters so fast that Elena had been unable to follow her movement, meaning she hadn't been able to warn her boyfriend about where Caroline hung in wait.

She was more badass than she had ever been and she couldn't be prouder of herself. Everything she'd been through with Klaus was worth it.

She was unstoppable.

Damon heard the front door close as he came to in confusion. When he saw Elena kneeling over his body looking at him like he was an idiot, he groaned in realisation and pain, nodding.

"I probably shouldn't have provoked her."

* * *

Caroline knocked on the door, feeling strong and powerful. This day had been going amazingly so far.

Tyler opened and she grinned at him as he looked on in confusion. "Care, what are you doing here?"

"Well, I just had the longest training session with Klaus followed by a long hot shower, and now I figure you can take me to dinner?" Caroline suggested, smiling sweetly.

Tyler laughed, shaking his head. "Come in, Care."

"As if I need inviting," she teased, mauling him with a hug.

"Not into my house, you don't," he agreed, burying his face in her hair.

Caroline froze, frowning. "You mean Matt's house technically though, right?"

He shook his head. "I had Matt sign it back."

Caroline pulled away from her boyfriend, glowering at him. Her awesome mood had gone. "Tyler, why the hell would you do that? That means vampires can get in; _Klaus _can get in."

"If Klaus wanted me dead, I'd be dead."

"God, how many times do we have to have this conversation? _Klaus can change his mind at any time_."

"Look, Care, I'm not gonna keep running scared of his whole Original hybrid fear-me-or-suffer act," Tyler said, rolling his eyes.

Caroline folded her arms in annoyance. "That sounds a lot like famous last words."

Tyler shook his head, anchoring his hands on her arms. "Listen, this was my parents' place; I'm a Lockwood. I deserve this. I won't let Klaus take that from me too."

Her mind wandered to last night and how close her and Klaus had come to kissing again. How this afternoon they'd both pretended that nothing had happened as the moment scratched the back of her brain till it felt raw. And the worst part, the part that kept bothering her, was how desperately she'd wanted that kiss.

It was something she hadn't felt with her own boyfriend for a very long time.

_I won't let Klaus take that from me too._

She sighed before unfolding her arms and threading her fingers through Tyler's hair instead.

"Enough talking," she ordered, before attacking his lips with hers.

* * *

Tyler rolled off her as they both breathed heavily.

Though it was the furthest thing from his notice, they weren't both widely grinning as Tyler was, his lips stretched from ear to ear. He pulled his girlfriend closer and onto his chest.

"Been a while since we did that," he noted, laughing a little.

"Yeah," Caroline agreed softly, biting her lip.

She steadied her breathing as she lay against Tyler's damp torso, him peacefully stroking her hair. She was thinking over the last ten minutes, feeling guilty as sin.

She'd never had to fake it with Tyler before.

_I have a feeling that you're lying to yourself_, Damon's words came back to her.

She gulped desperately. She wanted fresh air and she wanted not to feel like she was on the verge of tears but she was stuck here for now, she knew that.

All she could think about to calm herself was the look on Klaus' face after she'd told him about her victory over Damon and Elena that morning. It had been pure unbridled pride and adoration. She felt herself wanting to see that again, but she knew she couldn't leave yet.

Her only hope would have to be getting Tyler talking so he didn't get ideas about a repeat performance.

"So are you ever going to tell me what your amazing plan is?" she asked lightly.

There was silence for a second before his chest heaved underneath her. "Yeah. Sure. I think it's time, Care."

"Really?" she asked in surprise, moving off his chest and onto the pillow beside his to look squarely at him.

He nodded resolutely and she frowned suspiciously. "Well, what is it?"

He took a deep breath before finally spitting it out: "I'm going to rid this town of vampires."

There was a beat, then Caroline pulled herself away from him completely.

"What?" she yelled.

"Ok maybe that came out a bit wrong. By 'rid' I mean get them to leave."

Caroline's frown only deepened as she stared at her boyfriend in confusion. "Why would you want to do that?"

"Because, Care, have you noticed how many more people have died in this town in the past two and a half years?"

Caroline opened her mouth to reply but he shook his head, not finished.

"We're dead. And death follows us around. It started with Stefan and Damon and then Katherine and Klaus and this town doesn't deserve it." He sighed. "Remember when the worst thing about Mystic Falls was that it didn't have a cinema?"

"We have one now," Caroline offered.

"We also have vampires and an anti-vampire Council who doesn't even hate them. I mean how does that even work?"

Caroline sat up, offended, as she glowered down at her boyfriend. "Ok, my _mother _set up that Council. And they don't hate us because she actually told them the _truth_ about us."

Tyler's forehead creased at her outburst, realising he'd crossed a line. "I'm sorry, Care. I didn't mean that your mom did a bad job. It's just that someone has to protect the humans."

Caroline huffed. "And apparently that's a hybrid's job?"

Tyler sat up too and took her hands in his own. "Not necessarily, but someone's gotta do it."

The large hands of a football player squeezed the delicate hands of his cheerleading captain.

"I'm a Lockwood. Taking care of this town is my legacy. I owe that to my parents."

She looked down at their hands then up at his sad eyes. "I get that, Tyler. But you know that Damon isn't just going to leave because you want him to. And Klaus – god, he just got settled here."

Tyler shrugged, the cold returning to his eyes as she mentioned his nemesis' name. "They'll leave."

"And what about Elena? Jeremy's human, do you just expect her to leave him?"

He shrugged again, before pulling away from her and laying back down. "Jeremy's free to go where he wants. The vampires are leaving," he asserted.

"What about _us_? I thought you said your plan was supposed to be better for us."

"It's better for everybody, which means it's better for us. Besides, don't you see, Care? We can go anywhere, explore the world together, go to Paris," he tempted with a smile.

She couldn't even force one in return as a shiver creeped up her spine. That offer sounded all too familiar.

And it scared her that it wasn't anywhere near as tempting as it had been from the other man who had made it.

She looked away, unable to share in his excitement. His plan was insane. This was her home; why did he want to drive her out of it? What about her mother?

She knew his intentions were pure, but at the same time she couldn't help the niggling voice inside her head that said that he had nothing and now he was trying to take everything from everyone else too.

"How would you even plan on doing it?" she asked softly. "How could you possibly force all the vampires to leave?"

His hand found her bare back and he rubbed the muscles that had tensed the second he'd laid his hand there.

"Don't worry about that."

She spun around, knocking his hand off. "_Don't worry about it_? Seriously?"

He shrugged. "I'm working on it."

"Ok, then tell me what 'it' is!"

"It isn't necessary for you to know yet, Care," he said.

And although it came out as a plea, it just wasn't good enough.

She climbed from the bed before bending to reach for the pile of her clothing on the floor beside her feet. She pulled on her underwear before forcing her dress over her head.

"Care, don't go," Tyler tried.

Pulling on her wedges, she whirled to face him. "I once told you that people put their faith in you because you're a leader," Caroline started, her voice dangerously low, "And you know what, that may still be true. But there's a limit to how many times you can unquestioningly put your faith in someone when they give you _nothing _to go on, Tyler."

She grabbed her cardigan from the end of the bed, before fixing her eyes firmly on him.

"Looks like we just reached that point."

* * *

"Rebekah, what a lovely surprise," Klaus said and though he edged his tone with sarcasm, he was in fact being sincere.

He'd been having a good day, what with Caroline's elated bubbliness and her resulting constant verbal appreciation of his teachings. Their lesson had gone well and as usual he would be seeing her again tonight. And with last night's development perhaps it wasn't completely out of the cards that she would be rescinding her strict friendship request in the not too distant future.

His sister entering with a sunny disposition and a truly lovely pastel blue dress only enhanced his optimistic mood.

"Oh. _You're _here," Rebekah despaired.

So much for the sunny disposition.

"Yes, I do happen to live here. Also built the house," he reminded her lightly.

"Still going on about that, are you? Boy am I glad I moved out."

He was about to counter that she hadn't moved out so much as arbitrarily begun her globetrotting with the Donovan boy, when her eyes moved away from him, roaming the house.

"Where's the brother I actually like?"

Klaus got up from his seat, approaching Rebekah dangerously. She held her chin high.

"I'd be careful how you speak to me," he warned.

"Why, is your daggering hand itching?"

He was scowling at her when Elijah walked in.

"Rebekah, what a surprise!"

She smiled warmly at him. "I missed you."

Elijah frowned at his brother's hunched position so near to his sister, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Are you well?"

Rebekah nodded. "Now that you're here."

Klaus laughed humourlessly as he moved to re-take his seat. "Yes, because it's incomprehensible that you would ever want to see me," he spat bitterly.

"_Want _to see _you_? Why on earth would anyone want to do that?"

"Rebekah," Elijah admonished.

"You're right. He doesn't deserve the breath I waste speaking to him. I thought we could do lunch," she suggested smilingly at her elder brother.

"Hmmm, there is a new place just outside of town that I've been meaning to try out. It's a bit of a drive, however I hear that it's quite worth it."

"Sounds perfect," Rebekah grinned. "Just you and me, it'll be great!"

Elijah spared an awkward and slightly apologetic glance for his brother before turning to Rebekah with a gallant smile.

"After you."

"Cheerio, Nik. You and your couch have fun now. Well, that is until it finds out what a deceitful bastard you are," she griped, before turning on her heel and leaving.

Elijah longed to say a soothing word to his brother, but could think of nothing that would not invoke Niklaus' mocking, so instead he silently followed his sister's exit.

Klaus watched his siblings leave with a mutinous expression masking the hurt one.

He caught sight of his hands on his lap and looked down at them thoughtfully. Perhaps one was the daggering one but neither itched.

They both trembled slightly though.

* * *

"What is the source of your animosity with Niklaus?" Elijah asked straightforwardly after their crockery had been removed from the table. "If it is regarding the cure, surely you remember that he was not to blame for your ultimate loss of it?"

Rebekah glared. "It's been a thousand years, Elijah. The hate I feel for that man could stem from any of one hundred times he's crossed me in any one of those years."

"You hyperbolise his ill-doings," Elijah noted evenly. "And, I believe, your feelings toward him."

Rebekah looked down at her lap with a pout. "Whether I truly hate him or not is irrelevant; it's better to pretend the former. Because each time I place my trust in that monster, he proves to me exactly why I was wrong for doing so the last five hundred times."

Elijah sighed. "Perhaps he has become a monster, but I hold firm in my belief that he merely lacks what is needed for the man whom we once knew as our brother to be returned to us."

"You speak of redemption?" Rebekah asked mockingly. "Nik doesn't need to be redeemed, Elijah, he needs a _soul_."

Elijah shook his head. "I do not mean redemption. I think it might be too late for all three of us on that front."

He exhaled peacefully as he thought over his next words. "I believe what Niklaus needs is the belief in something he has long since lost. Love," he finished.

Rebekah raised a sardonic eyebrow. "With who? Caroline?" she laughed.

When he made no move to deny this, she looked at him head-on. "She's with Tyler, if you haven't noticed."

"Yes. I admit, at first I couldn't see it because of her attachment to the Lockwood boy. But then I realised that it was precisely that."

Rebekah shook her head, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Has Niklaus ever allowed himself to be treated as the second choice; working for affection the way he does with Caroline?"

"No," she admitted reluctantly. "What Nik wants, Nik gets. Sooner rather than later."

"Precisely," he nodded, "but this girl, she brings out something in him, Rebekah."

"So you're rooting for _Klaus and Caroline_?" Rebekah asked in disbelief.

Her brother hardly ever involved himself in affairs like this. She guessed that it had something to do with how Nik had always interfered in her love life – Elijah had consistently taken the necessary neutral ground.

"I believe she could be good for him," he replied succinctly.

"If he doesn't murder her first," Rebekah smirked, the thought amusing her.

Elijah shifted on his chair, turning away from her and she immediately knew that she'd upset him.

"I happen to like Caroline," he stated, wiping his already pristine mouth with a crisp napkin, "and whatever her flaws, at least _she_ believes in Niklaus' _soul_," he spat, before getting up.

Rebekah stared guiltily as she watched her brother leave.

* * *

"Are you alright?" Klaus asked as soon as he'd caught sight of Caroline.

She'd re-applied her makeup and the red rims and puffiness around her eyes had supernaturally disappeared, but of course he still managed somehow to know.

"Fine," she lied. "Come in."

She'd spent the remainder of the afternoon alternating between crying and sulking.

She hated Tyler for doing this to her; for unwittingly turning her against her friends. For creating a plan that would separate her from her mother. For messing up their relationship again after what she'd given up so she could be with him and him only.

She hated that she didn't even know whose side she was on anymore.

So it shocked both of them when she spontaneously turned back around and walked straight into his chest, ducking her head low.

Klaus hesitated for a second, not understanding the action, before his arms hesitantly came up and wrapped around her. He wasn't convinced that he was doing the hugging thing correctly but he focused on just holding her as tightly as she needed.

Caroline rubbed her face against the cashmere of his sweater, absorbing his smell. His hand crawled into her hair, stroking it down, and she swore she'd never felt as comforted in her life.

Behind him her hands met, curling in on themselves against his lower back. Klaus wanted to lay a kiss where his lips sat flush against her temple but spoke instead.

"I assume this means you aren't 'fine'."

She bit out a laugh. "I may have exaggerated a little."

"Hmmm," he agreed. "And does that have something to do with the fact that you're covered in Tyler's scent?" he asked, doing his best to keep his tone neutral.

And though his best wasn't too bad, she still caught the tinge of murder around his question. Caroline awkwardly disentangled herself from him.

"Yeah," she sighed.

He looked down at the blonde curiously with one eyebrow raised.

"I finally managed to get him to tell me his plan," she started cautiously.

She was nervous. Tyler would be furious if he found out that she'd told Klaus of all people. But Klaus was the one person she felt the need to tell.

"Plan?" Klaus asked.

"He's been doing all these disappearing acts – like at Christmas – never mind where's he's been for the past six months. I wanted him to explain so he finally did." She took a deep breath before rushing out the words. "He has this insane plan to make all the vampires in Mystic Falls leave! I don't know _how _he's going to do it, but he's dead set on it no matter what I say."

Klaus nodded slowly and Caroline frowned.

"You don't look very surprised," she noted.

"I wouldn't be too concerned about it if I were you," Klaus replied cryptically.

Her frown deepened as she stared at him. "Do you know something?"

"There isn't any need for panic, love," he repeated in a more assuring tone.

She kept her eyes narrowed at him for a few more seconds then looked away with a reluctant huff.

She couldn't help it; she trusted him. Unlike Tyler, recently he hadn't given her any reason not to.

Still, she sighed deeply before continuing to the lounge. "Fine, whatever."

"I get the feeling that isn't all you're upset about," Klaus stated as he followed.

She turned on him and for the first time took him in properly. He was wearing the mauve sweater she'd picked out for him last night.

"Seriously?"

"What?" he asked laughingly, already knowing a slight on his outfit was coming.

"You wore the red top and still did a black jacket?"

She stared pointedly at his leather jacket.

"What did you expect me to pair it with, love? Pink?"

"You're impossible."

She moved to settle on a sofa but he grabbed her arm, holding her by the wrist. "What is it, Caroline?"

She sighed as her eyes flicked first to his hand, then up to his eyes and finally to the ground. "Today with Tyler I couldn't – I didn't – I can't stop – " she gnashed her teeth together as she struggled with herself, before deciding to abandon that topic altogether. "Can we talk about last night?"

Klaus watched her with some amusement. He had no idea what she'd been trying to get at but he didn't push either; pleased by the change of topic.

"You picked my shirt," he said, nodding, knowing full well that he was teasing her.

"That's not what I'm talking about."

"Oh?" he taunted, cocking an eyebrow.

She glared at him, trying to decide how she was going to broach their almost-kiss when he was being this annoying, pretending that he didn't even know what she was talking about.

Then her phone went off. Frowning, she pulled her hand from Klaus' grip to get her phone out of her pocket.

"It's Elena, she wants to come over," she informed him distractedly.

Klaus looked on passively as Caroline's face went from confused to panicked.

"_She wants to come over_! Crap! You have to go!"

Now Klaus frowned, confused by this turn of events. "Impromptu sleepover?"

"No, she just wants to talk to me, I think."

"Then I see no reason why I need to leave?" he asked, still trying to figure out her train of thought.

"Are you kidding me right now?"

When she realised that he was still looking at her in confusion, she rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I'm sure Elena would think it's completely normal that you're here at my house _at night_," she said sarcastically.

"You're afraid Elena might jump to conclusions?" he asked as if she were being completely ridiculous.

And maybe she was, she couldn't be sure. But one thing she did know was that Elena was probably on her way over here right now and Klaus _was not moving._

"Have you forgotten that Elena totally hates you?"

"Ah come on, love, I'm sure she's over it. We had dinner, remember?" Klaus smiled charmingly.

Caroline glared at him. He was being seriously impossible right now.

"You killed. Her aunt," Caroline reminded him through gritted teeth.

He shrugged, ignoring her comment. "There really is no shame in wanting me around."

Her head was about to explode. Elena would be here any minute and Klaus was actually teasing her right now.

Elena already had doubts about Caroline and Tyler's relationship; Caroline didn't need Klaus adding any fuel to that fire.

"Klaus, what I _want _is for you to _leave_. Now," she emphasised.

He stared at her for a moment and she didn't know if it was because her heart was pounding as she panicked or because there were a thousand things there that she'd never seen before, but the look behind his eyes was completely indecipherable to her.

"Very well," he snapped, and he was gone before she had the chance to blink.

* * *

"Wow, I am _really_ dizzy," the girl complained laughingly as she pulled herself from the silk sling.

Klaus hardly blamed her. She'd been hanging with her head upside down in a hammock he' had set up for the better part of an hour.

Modestly she pulled a silk robe on over her underwear as Klaus gave his resulting sketch the once-over.

Though in real life the girl's barest minimum was covered in flesh-coloured underwear, in his charcoal representation she was completely nude. Her one hand grasped the hammock, gripping it as her neck offered itself to the world. Her body formed a beautiful curve: one leg was tucked beneath herself as her thigh rested lightly atop her other grasping hand, its leg stuck out of the hammock at a ninety degree angle. From her pointed toe to her head, her body formed a diagonal C.

"Can I see it?" the girl asked cautiously.

He hadn't compelled her but she still seemed oddly careful of him. He supposed it shouldn't have surprised him. It should surprise him that she was even here.

Then again, she was getting paid.

"Why not?" he shrugged.

She grinned back at him before approaching to view the sketchbook he held out.

"Not a bad back layout if I say so myself," she smirked. "Except for the bent leg, that's a bit different."

"It's precisely what I had in mind; you did a fantastic job," he replied sincerely.

She smiled back at him warmly, appreciative of his praise. "You probably won't find this hard to believe, but in a tiny town like this there's never any need for my gymnastics skillset."

He nodded amusedly. "I'll admit that I find it to be a surprising career choice."

She laughed. "Trust me, this isn't my day job."

The girl sat down next to him, not particularly mindful of where she placed herself on the sofa.

"You know, this house seems kind of huge and empty," she spoke again. "You must be lonely."

He turned his head to her questioningly.

She blushed. "I just mean… I could keep you company if you want, while you finish."

He frowned, not replying.

"Or we don't have to talk at all," she suggested and finally he smirked.

"Do you flirt with all your clients?"

"Only the handsome British ones. I've tried, but I just can't stop," she joked, shrugging.

He couldn't help it, it made him smile. Chalk it up to loneliness.

"You actually _want _to stay here with me?"

There was silver magic in the girl's eyes for a few seconds as her gaze held his. "Why not?"

He felt her fingers lightly crawl up his arm, inching his jacket off his shoulder. He dropped his sketchbook to the floor.

She groaned as his lips pressed to her neck, him leaning over her as his hands found her silk-covered waist.

When his lips finally touched hers he had just one thought: _They weren't Caroline's._

He kissed the girl harder, pressing himself into her desperately, wanting her to be what she wasn't. Who she wasn't.

She opened her legs, pulling at the hem of his top, the one Caroline had picked out for him.

He pulled his lips away from the girl – he needed haste, to get this over with, because all he really sought was for the deep pit in his stomach to disappear. This girl wasn't Caroline but at least _she_ wanted him.

He easily loosened the belt around the girl's waist before his hands found her thighs and she gasped loudly.

"You have protection, right?" she breathed out suddenly.

Klaus was just mentally present enough for it to hit him.

She was human.

Humans were for blood and ordering around and painting, when the mood struck him. Not this.

And not when she was nowhere near who he really wanted to be with.

He sat back on his haunches, regretfully noting his jacket on the floor from the corner of his eye.

"I just remembered, I have an early morning," he lied.

She looked confused but breathed deeply before nodding. "Oh. Ok."

She sat up quickly, re-arranging her hair and fastening her robe again.

"Your clothing is still in the downstairs bathroom, you can let yourself out," he said, evading eye contact.

She nodded appreciatively as she made her way out, stopping just shy of the doorway.

"Good luck with your painting. And if you need me again, just ask the agency for Bridget."

So that was her name.

He nodded briefly and she smiled, turning to walk out when she bumped into another really hot guy dressed in a full suit.

"Sorry," Bridget apologised, pulling her thin gown closer self-consciously.

"Excuse me," he apologised, and she scampered off.

Elijah entered his brother's studio with a smirk. "She's alive. I'm impressed."

Klaus sighed. The last thing he needed right now was his perfect brother sharing in his moment of insanity.

He didn't turn. "She was a model, not dinner."

"Ah," Elijah said, observing the hammock hanging from the studio's roof.

"If you're here to gloat about your lunch, I'm not interested," Klaus spat.

Elijah sighed heavily; his brother always suspected dark motives. "Actually, I dared venture up to your treasured room to do the courtesy of informing you that I won't be in town tomorrow."

Klaus frowned, finally turning to face his brother. "Where will you be going?"

"I have to collect a package; it's going to be quite the trip."

Klaus' eyes widened as an idea struck.

"Where?"

* * *

Long chapter so a long comment. First off I apologise for the lack of Klaroline in this one. It was a necessary sacrifice in order to move the plot along a bit.

I hope the fight scenes were ok. I did some boxing and cheerleading research for it. I watched plenty of _Chuck _too_. _Also, Caroline pulled off a Black Widow move! Pretty epic, I thought.

I like to think Damon wanted another go at Caroline for hurting Elena, but who knows, maybe he was just being his usual reckless self :)

What did y'all think of Tyler's plan? Or end-goal, rather. I'm trying to do good by his character, keeping his motivations in line with the kind of person Tyler is. I hope this chapter cleared everything up about whether the MF gang are in on his plan, whether Klaus knows about it, etc. In essence Tyler's plan is less important for the main plot than for his relationship with Caroline.

Elijah is officially a Klaroline shipper! (Isn't everybody?) I don't know, it just made perfect sense to me. Far more sense than it ever made for him to think some foetus was gonna make Klaus a better person. And #ScrewTheRedemptionArc. I like my Klaus dark and broken and just being a general evil asshole – except to Caroline ;)

I hope the dark and broken part came through at the end of this chapter. Sigh, Klaus is so screwed up and Caroline doesn't do his insecurity any favours.

So yes, there was a Klaus almost-sex scene with someone who is _not _Caroline in a Klaroline fanfiction (and actual Forwood sex happened), but please don't kill me! I promise to make it up to you in the next chapter.

Lyrics from _Stay _which is originally by Rihanna. However, in case you're interested, I usually listen to the Jared Leto version. It's darker and different. Also if you're interested, what is possibly my all-time favourite KC fanvid on YouTube is set to Stay by Rihanna and it's by _Whisper of Dreams_.


	19. Chapter 19

Because there is only so much rejection one man can take.

* * *

**Chapter 19: All Along it Was a Fever**

_Say something, I'm giving up on you_

_I'm sorry that I couldn't get to you_

_Anywhere, I would've followed you_

_Say something _

_I'm giving up on you_

Caroline fanned herself as she walked into the Mikaelsons' the next morning, early again. Since she'd missed out on their time together last night, she'd thought that maybe her and Klaus could make it up now.

It was weird how dependent she'd become on their time together.

She frowned when she entered the lounge to find Klaus walking in her direction, a duffel bag in hand.

"You look like you're going somewhere," she noted in confusion.

"Yeah, um Elijah's asked me to collect a package for him."

His face was strangely void of expression as he spoke to her; he looked almost tired.

"Ok, so our lesson's going to be later?"

"Our lesson," he repeated, as if they hadn't spent almost three weeks meeting every afternoon. He blinked. "We'll have to cancel, it's a day-long drive."

Caroline frowned. "Where are you going?"

"Charleston."

Caroline's eyes widened. "That's really far away."

"Which is why I should get going," he replied curtly, making his way around her.

Her mind raced. She didn't want him to go.

"Well no roadtrip is fun if you're alone. Can I come?"

There was a long silent pause as she stared at his silent back.

"Why not," he relented and Caroline grinned.

This was going to be great.

* * *

"Soooo," she started.

They'd been driving for ten minutes but it had felt like ten years of solid silence to her.

"What's Elijah's package? Or is it a secret?" she asked.

"I don't know."

"Do you think it's for Katherine? I'll bet it's for Katherine."

She turned to face him but he was concentrating on the road, not even sparing her a glance.

Ok, so he wasn't in a chatty mood. Except she'd known him for two years now and that had never been the case before.

"Are you ok?"

"Fine," he replied.

She stared at his blank face, then down at her hands. This was awkward.

And there were still another four hours and forty-five minutes to go until they reached Charleston. Never mind the return trip.

She hated silence; she had to fill it, even if it was with the first thing that popped into her head.

"You know there once was this girl on my cheer squad called Cindy and before a meet one of her friends told me she wasn't feeling well."

She looked over at Klaus. She couldn't tell if he was paying attention or not. Still, she continued.

"So of course I go up to her and tell her that she can't perform if she isn't feeling up to it because it's totally my ass on the line if something goes wrong. And she's all like '_I'm fine_', which in retrospect I probably should've seen for the pile of crap that it was seeing as she was practically green, but whatever."

Growing annoyed with Klaus' unchanging face, she turned her attention to the passing view outside her window instead. At least it seemed like it was having more of a reaction to her than Klaus was.

"Did I mention that Cindy's one of my flyers? Anyway, to make a long story short, she threw up on four of my bases in the middle of a barrel roll."

She huffed, mad at Cindy all over again. "I still can't believe that bitch cost me a trophy. My choreography was _epic_."

She turned back to Klaus. This was usually the part where he would offer some sort of encouragement or agreement. But he remained silent.

Caroline's hands curled into fists as she turned away again. If that story didn't get him to offer any sort of comment then she didn't know what would.

For his part, Klaus was just as annoyed. Mainly with himself. Allowing Caroline to come had been a huge mistake.

And now he was stuck with that huge mistake for the next ten hours.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked suddenly, breaking the forty seconds of silence she'd allowed to envelope them.

He allowed himself a quick glance at the gorgeous blonde beside him before he focused back on the long road.

"Because you have your self-pitying face on," she observed.

He sighed before reaching for the knob on the radio. He'd rather listen to whatever hogwash the masses had deemed good this week than have to endure another minute of ignoring Caroline.

* * *

After three steady hours of listening to the radio at a volume that allowed neither of them to talk, Caroline was sick of it. She never thought she'd see the day when her ears were practically bleeding from too much Taylor Swift but she supposed there was a first time for everything.

Reaching out, she turned the knob to switch off the radio, before turning to glare at Klaus.

"Are you mad at me?"

"You did just turn off my radio."

"You know what I mean."

She waited for a few seconds but when he still said nothing, she gritted her teeth.

"Well? Are you mad at me for some reason?"

"I'm not in the mood for talking, Caroline."

"Yeah, exactly! Since when does that happen?"

His breathing was even as he ignored her question and if it was possible to literally stare daggers at someone, that was so what she'd be doing right now.

"Are you mad at me, Klaus?" she repeated. She folded her arms, smirking. "I'm just going to keep asking until you answer me."

He snuck a look at her from the corner of his eye and sighed. If there was anyone who could actually follow through on that threat, it was Caroline Forbes.

"I'm not upset with you," he answered, to her surprise.

Right before he turned the radio back on.

* * *

Caroline's arms were folded as she mentally blocked out the loud rap song that had just come on. She had the feeling that Klaus was only listening to this junk to get at her and she still had no idea why. She wasn't sure if he was just in a bad mood or if he had a genuine problem with her.

She wasn't sure she'd be able to handle the latter, especially considering that it seemed like everybody else already had their issues with the new and improved Caroline. Tyler had made that very clear the day she'd attacked Katherine, and Elena's visit last night had left Caroline in no uncertain terms about where she stood with the rest of her friends.

_"I'm worried."_

_"I thought we went over this already," Caroline said, rolling her eyes laughingly._

_Elena folded her arms. "Yeah, I thought we agreed that you had a line; that you wouldn't just do anything Klaus told you to."_

_Caroline's face grew impassive. "I have no idea what you're even talking about."_

_"Really? After this morning, you have no idea what I'm talking about?"_

_Caroline frowned in disbelief. "Are you seriously blaming me for what happened this morning? You were there; you saw what Damon was like!"_

_"He didn't ask you to kill him."_

_"So that's what this is about?" Caroline snapped. "Me snapping Damon's neck? Exactly how long did it take for him to wake up?" she reminded. "Two minutes?"_

_Elena's jaw twitched. "I'm worried about you, Caroline. First Katherine, now this." She sighed. "I don't like what Klaus is turning you into."_

_Caroline took a step back, folding her arms. "What you _mean _is that you don't like that I can defend myself now, right?"_

_"Caroline, that's not even…"_

_"That someone's one-upped your amazing Alaric skills?"_

_Elena scoffed. "You're letting Klaus turn you into some kind of a monster and now you're turning it on me?"_

_Monster._

_Caroline recoiled as if she'd been slapped._

_"You should go."_

And now Klaus was shutting her out too.

And, yeah, Elena had been her friend for as long as she could remember but there was something about Klaus not even giving her the time of day anymore that made her feel really… alone.

Klaus had placed some kind of distance between them and though she had no idea why it was there, its presence was practically tangible.

* * *

"I think we drove into a heat wave," Caroline complained as they drove through the streets of Charleston, trying to locate the curio store Elijah had sent Klaus to.

Eventually she'd gotten used to the solid silence between them, even sometimes bopping along to the never-ending music as she'd allowed her thoughts to wander to the many problems in her life, but every now and then she would still let out a comment to test the waters.

Her comment caused Klaus to smirk. It was true that it was uncharacteristically hot for the area. For any area, really, save for deserts.

Klaus reached out to set the air conditioning and Caroline sighed in relief. As resistant to weather conditions as vampires supposedly were, she still felt clammy and found it difficult to pull the thick air through her lungs.

As the air conditioning furiously fired icy air at her, she breathed it in gratefully, feeling her skin cool to its usual cold state.

She banished an idle thought about what Klaus' skin might feel like right now.

The car pulled to a stop and Caroline glanced out of her window. They were in the middle of nowhere, really. She had no idea how Klaus had managed to drive out of the suburbs and straight into an area where the only place that existed was a creepy-looking solitary shop, but there they were.

"I'll be right back," Klaus assured, before climbing out.

Ok, he clearly didn't want her in there with him. Which she normally wouldn't have taken any note of, but now she stayed put, sparing a thought for the fact that it was at least a million degrees hotter outside than it was inside Klaus' SUV.

Bored, she turned around to eye the duffel bag on the back seat. Why had Klaus brought it along and what was in it? She was debating taking a peek inside when Klaus jumped back into the car, slamming his door.

She wasn't sure what was worse: the heat that had accompanied his entrance, or how mad he looked.

"What's wrong?" she asked hesitantly, unsure whether she would get an answer.

"Elijah's bloody package isn't ready yet," he growled.

"Ok… so what now?"

He sighed. "We'll have to stay the night."

* * *

It was the most beautiful place she'd ever been in and they hadn't even shown her to her room yet.

Caroline looked around in wonder at the reception area of the Francis Marion Hotel.

It didn't surprise her that Klaus had brought them to stay at the best hotel in town but she still hadn't been expecting this.

It was huge, with browns and beiges everywhere, beautiful green pot plants dotted here and there and a massive grand piano. She was seated on a plush beige ottoman right next to a massive round wood table as Klaus booked their rooms and she could probably fit another whole family beside her. The reception area even mercifully had air conditioning.

Suddenly Klaus was walking toward her, key card in hand. "They could spare us a room," he affirmed.

"_One _room?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

He nodded without further reply before walking away, presumably to their room.

Great, so now she had to share a room with someone who was hardly talking to her. That promised to be a bucket of fun.

She trailed behind him, now staring nuclear bombs at his back, and after a few awkward minutes waiting for an elevator and then waiting inside it, they finally got to their room.

Needless to say, it was stunning. It surpassed even the luxury she'd seen in movies and she ran a wondrous finger over all the gold embellishments and soft linen.

There were two beds.

It was two rooms, really, with an adjoining door. It stood ajar and through it Caroline caught glimpse of another Queen-sized bed. She wanted to call Klaus out for being a jerk about it and not just telling her outright that there were two beds, but it wasn't like he'd take any notice of her anyway.

She traipsed into the bathroom it seemed like they'd be sharing, grinning at all the shining marble that stared back at her. The shower was practically a room by itself and she could see herself curling up for a nap in the spa bath.

It was then that she realised that the heat was starting to get to her again. She guessed the rooms weren't air conditioned because they weren't prepared for this kind of freak weather. Huffing in annoyance, she splashed some cold water on her face before making her way back to the room.

Klaus had dropped his things and it occurred to Caroline that all she had to 'drop' was her phone.

"Did you know this might be an overnight thing?" she asked suspiciously, pointedly eyeing his duffel bag.

"It was a possibility."

What. A jerk.

He probably had a change of clothes and a toothbrush and a curling iron and… ok, maybe not a curling iron, but _she _sure could've done with one.

She groaned. She couldn't believe he hadn't warned her that they might be staying over. He had a bag full of things and all she had was the clothes on her back!

As he went into the bathroom she glared whatever was more destructive than nuclear bombs at his back.

* * *

"Ok, how is it even this hot?" Caroline asked, mostly rhetorically.

Klaus looked up for a second, then went back to scrutinising the road map he had out.

At this point she wasn't sure if she was still talking to get him to respond or so that she wouldn't go crazy because of the heavy silence. It had been an hour since they'd gotten to the hotel and she'd spent most of that time exploring her room and then reading the TV guide.

She stood by the balcony and looked over at the huge pool with its sparking blue water. The heat was so unbearable that she was actually considering skinny dipping.

"I seriously need a swim. I wish I had my bikini," she moped.

"There's a gift shop downstairs. They stock swimwear," Klaus said without looking up from his precious road map.

She waited for him to say that he was going to join her or at the very least that she should have fun, before she realised neither was coming.

Sighing, she quickly uttered a word of thanks before making her way out.

* * *

Klaus stood immobile before the balcony doors. Truth be told, he was hot as well.

Every once in a while a day came along that was hot enough to affect even a one thousand year old vampire.

It was a bit far up to tell, but an hour ago he had seen a blonde in a cherry bikini head into the pool and he suspected it to have been Caroline.

Why he had let her come was beyond him. The entire point of the trip had been to be Caroline-less. To attempt making decisions clear-headed. The very fact that he had let her come along was a clear indication that that was something he needed.

And while he had done plenty of thinking, it had all gone splendidly wrong as his brain cells were constantly inundated with the light and fruity scent of Caroline Forbes.

Getting over someone was not easy to do when you sat a few inches away from them as they constantly tried to fill the silence with their sparkly excited voice and their smiles and tinkling laughter and cute stories.

It was too much for one only half-sane man to handle.

And he had nobody to blame but himself. He had been the one to agree to her coming along even though he'd known then what a terrible decision it was. But that was just typical of her effect on him. She made it impossible for him to think straight or utter simple things like the word No…

Klaus' head whipped to the side as he heard a soft knock on the door. Frowning, he sped over before pulling it open slowly and staring at the woman behind it curiously.

"Good evening, sir. I'm so sorry to bother you, but I have a request and I would be incredibly grateful if you could hear me out."

Confused about what the manager of the hotel could possibly have to request from him, he stepped aside, gesturing for her to come inside.

"Thank you so much, Mr Mikaelson. I really don't want to inconvenience you but it seems that a great mistake was made. Some clerical error or perhaps overbooking, but this suite was meant for somebody else for the next three nights. Including tonight."

Klaus frowned. Was he being kicked out of his hotel room?

"I'm not certain I understand what you're saying."

"Well I'm not sure how this happened, and I assure you that I will go to the greatest lengths to explore that, but you were checked into this room when it was meant for two important members of the Francis Marion family. They're brother and sister so they need separate beds and if you can believe it, all our rooms like this are full."

The woman was staring at Klaus in utter fear, as if she knew what kind of a monster he was, and he decided that hotel management training truly instilled the fear of God into its graduates. He was glad that it was one path he had not followed in his one thousand years.

Sensing his hesitation but misconstruing the reason behind it, the manager rushed to speak again.

"The lady who checked you in said that you were a couple, whereas it's mostly families in our other rooms like this one. And this is sort of the siblings' regular room when we're lucky enough to accommodate them."

Klaus was about to speak but she once again beat him to the punch.

"And of course you'll be placed in the Presidential honeymoon suite with absolutely no extra cost to you."

Klaus closed his mouth before smiling slyly.

"The honeymoon suite, you said?"

* * *

Caroline stopped at the new hotel room she'd been sent to, along with a new key, and officially had no idea what was going on.

Upon receiving the key for a new room she'd assumed that Klaus had decided that they needed separate rooms after all. Maybe because she rambled too much.

But now she stood in front of a door that said, in ornate gold italics, that this was the honeymoon suite.

Any other day and she would have thought that this was just Klaus up to his usual seductive tactics. But unless ignoring someone solidly for a whole day was part of his repertoire, seduction was the last thing on his mind on this trip.

But then what on earth was she doing here?

Deciding there was only way to find out, Caroline entered the room cautiously. The first thing she noticed was that she had a significantly longer amount of time to walk before she even caught sight of the bed.

The second thing she noticed was Klaus. He sat at a round table in the far corner of the room, peacefully reading a book.

His jacket hung on the chair behind him and his sleeves were rolled up. Caroline was glad she wasn't the only one being affected by this freak weather.

She began to re-direct her close scrutiny to the rest of the room.

"New room?" Caroline noted, feeling she had to make some form of acknowledgement.

"Some clerical error. We got relocated."

Caroline raised an eyebrow. "We got kicked out of our room? How did that even happen?"

"Some form of royalty needed it," Klaus said with a hint of sarcasm.

He hadn't looked away from his book yet, but Caroline felt proud that she'd managed to get him to say this much.

"And you _let _them have it?"

Klaus Mikaelson had allowed himself to be kicked out of a hotel room he had actually paid for? Why hadn't he just used compulsion?

"Evidently," he replied simply.

Caroline glared at him, then noticed that the book he was reading was a bible. She frowned. This night was getting weirder and weirder. She needed it to be over.

"Did they bring up my stuff?" Caroline questioned, referring to the purchases she'd made earlier along with her bikini.

Klaus pointed mutely and she noticed her shopping bag on the other chair by the table. It was gently sandwiched next to Klaus' bag.

She browsed through her shopping bag but it was a useless effort. She'd bought nothing to sleep in, mainly because they hadn't had anything of that nature. The only helpful items she'd managed to acquire besides her bikini was a pretty sundress for tomorrow and a lingerie set which the gift shop stocked, in lieu of normal underwear. So while her outfit for the next day was sorted, she had nothing to sleep in.

She was never trusting Klaus to take her anywhere ever again.

_Klaus._

She snuck a peek at his half-open bag, seeing at least two tops inside.

Seriously? How many changes of clothes had he brought?

Hoping she wasn't overstepping whatever boundaries they had, she unzipped his bag and dug around until she found a plain white vest.

She turned to Klaus, holding it up.

"Is it OK if I sleep in this?"

He finally glanced over, before nodding. "Help yourself."

She couldn't tell if his reply had been genuinely nice or just the quickest thing he could say so that he didn't have to talk to her anymore.

Gah, it was so damn frustrating not knowing what was going on with him.

She pulled the vest over her head, knowing that she wouldn't be taking a shower tonight. She was just too exhausted. From the roadtrip, from the swim, from Klaus.

Jumping onto the bed, she immediately knew she'd made the right decision. This bed was so plush that _any _decision involving getting into it right away was the right one. She pushed all the blankets down to the bottom of the bed, knowing she wouldn't have any use for them in this heat.

Her head snapped around as she heard Klaus shut his bible. She watched him pick up the bag she'd just scratched around in before he headed for the bathroom.

The shower turned on a few seconds later and she frowned.

On the one hand it made perfect sense that he'd want to take a shower. She'd gone swimming for the same reason: it was damn hot.

On the other hand, couldn't he have done it earlier? Now she was stuck here on the bed inside their honeymoon suite, thinking of Klaus in the shower.

Rubbing a frustrated hand over her face, she turned onto her side, figuring that she wouldn't have to deal with this if she were asleep. It shouldn't be too difficult. This bed was the definition of comfortable and she couldn't be more tired if she tried.

But nope. Sleep was being stubborn and she blamed the idiot inside the shower for winding her up too much to be relaxed enough to slip away.

Soon the shower stopped and she contemplated pretending to be asleep but immediately knew it was a dumb idea. Klaus would hear her heartbeat.

Fine, then. Since he'd kept her awake, she'd resign herself to shameless staring as he exited the bathroom. It was only a fair trade-off, right?

She'd turned onto her back and was busy wondering what kind of sleepwear you wore when you were a one thousand year old murderous vampire-werewolf hybrid, when her breath caught in her throat as he stepped back into the room.

Apparently you didn't wear sleepwear.

Nope, you just wrapped a luxury hotel bath sheet around your waist and you were golden.

She was suddenly very glad that Klaus was not talking to her because he definitely would have made fun of the way she was staring.

Suddenly she turned back onto her side, now thoroughly ashamed of herself. She should _not _need the possibility of Klaus teasing her to restrain herself from ogling him.

Still, as she heard him busy himself, she snuck a peek at his back from over her shoulder.

His hair was all mussed, the water droplets in it glinting through the dark blonde of his locks. More drops of water littered his body. They drew her gaze down to the very lowest part of his back, where his dimples were sexily exhibited by the low-slung towel.

She watched his movements carefully as he first switched off the bedroom light then moved to begin stripping his side of the bed of the multitude of pillows it bore. Caroline frowned, confused.

He mechanically dropped the pillows to a spot on the floor and she had the sinking feeling that he was going to do what those moronic guys in movies always did and sleep on the floor.

She had never seen the point of it. Sharing a bed for sleeping purposes meant very little in the grand scheme of things.

Besides, it was little compared to what her and Klaus had already done.

She blushed at the thought, the feel of his lips on hers coming back to her. She felt dizzy remembering the rooftop again.

Turning around, she decided she would talk some sense into him. But he removed the last pillow from the bed then lay down, towel still securely wrapped around his waist.

Ok, then. He planned on sleeping in that.

No big deal. No big deal at all.

And he was going to sleep without any pillows. Definitely to show how mad he was at her.

She settled on her back again before she cast one last sidelong glance at him.

There was a lot of distance between them, what with the King size of the bed, but from here she could still make out the planes of his face, and his stubble; his torso covered in tiny droplets that the moonlight reflected off of.

Her eyes roamed from his avian tattoo down to his abs, the V they formed, and… well, the towel.

Her gaze jumped back to the ceiling above her.

If he _really_ wasn't trying to seduce her then he was doing a pretty terrible job of it.

* * *

Caroline's eyes popped open.

She wasn't sure why she'd woken, but she felt wide awake. Like ready-to-go-for-a-jog awake. She tried lifting her head and amended that statement: she could only go for a jog right now if she left her head here. It felt heavy with sleep even as her mind raced.

She wondered why she'd woken. It was clear from the befuddled state she was in right now that she was still tired.

She turned to Klaus, but he was still on his back, sleeping like a baby.

A very large, sexy, murderous baby.

_Wow, I really am tired._

She nibbled on her lip. Looking over at him she suddenly felt incredibly curious to do something. Something she'd never done before.

Something Klaus would kill her for doing.

* * *

_Klaus opened his eyes, feeling odd._

_He felt like he should know what was causing him to feel this way but the reason wasn't forthcoming. He blinked quickly, feeling a sharp kind of awareness that he didn't usually feel after having just woken._

_Klaus frowned. He remembered placing his pillows on the carpet before going to sleep but he clearly felt them underneath his head now. He had also gone to sleep in a towel and now he felt his legs covered by strange cotton pajama pants that he most definitely did not own. _

_The thought made him bolt upright, only to come close to knocking heads with the blonde who was evidently still in bed with him._

_"Caroline!"_

_He narrowed his eyes at her. She had been leaning over him as he slept, he was sure of it, and now she was grinning at him, looking very satisfied with herself. _

_She too looked different to how she had when he'd gone to sleep. Instead of the cherry string bikini she had worn with his tank top, she now wore grey cotton sleep shorts and a vest._

_He groaned as realisation hit him and he sank back onto the bed with his hands covering his eyes._

_"Caroline, is this a dream?"_

_"Your dream. Technically."_

_He removed his hands and looked up at her. She was propped up on her left hand looking intently at him, still with a large smile. _

_"That's not a very nice thing to do."_

_She shrugged. "You wouldn't talk to me any other way. Besides, it's not like you can be scared of me finding anything important. You have a very peaceful subconscious."_

_He cocked an eyebrow. It was true that he hardly dreamt, which was probably why it had taken him a while to piece together the situation here. Still, her calling him a peaceful _anything_ surprised him._

_"Can I get back to sleeping now?" _

_She scoffed. "No way! Do you know how long it took me to get inside your head? It's like a vault or something," she complained, flipping her hair over her shoulder in exasperation._

_Klaus smirked at the action. "I _am_ one thousand years old."_

_She smiled proudly. "And I still got in there." She considered. "This dream thing is pretty neat."_

_Klaus sighed. "I'm glad you enjoyed your experiment. Can I go back to sleep _now_?"_

_"What? _No_. We're talking."_

_"I know. And I want to be _sleeping_."_

_"Technically you are," Caroline retorted and he glared at her. "I _meant_ that we're going to talk. For real. About whatever's going on with you," she gestured with her hand._

_"With me?" _

_"Yeah. You've said like two words to me this whole trip."_

_Klaus groaned again and massaged his eyes with his palms. "Could we do this in the morning, love?"_

_"_Love_? Now there's something I haven't heard in a while. That must mean we're getting somewhere!" she said excitedly._

_Klaus rolled his eyes. Usually the blond vampire's immortal enthusiasm was adorable and contagious. But not when she wanted to have an awkward conversation and he wanted to be getting some rest._

_How did she manage to haunt him even in his dreams?_

_"And no. We can't do this in the morning. Because out there," she said, gesturing towards the room in general, "you are way too difficult to deal with. In the morning, you're probably going to pretend like none of this even happened. _By the morning_, I want to know what your damage is."_

_Klaus sighed and pulled himself up, mimicking Caroline's position as he got up close to her face. _

_"_I said I don't want to talk about it_," he growled._

_Caroline only raised a brow. "Seriously? I won't even get into how clichéd that line is, but seriously? Are you really trying to intimidate me right now?"_

_Klaus was beginning to see red. "Caroline, let me out of this dream or I swear I'll…"_

_"What? You'll _what_?"_

_At this point they were both growling in each other's faces, not that differently from when he had been under Silas' influence and she had saved him._

_"You'll maybe say what you're actually feeling? You'll let me in on whatever is going on inside your head? You'll stop treating me like the past two weeks never happened? _What_?"_

_It really was like that day all over again. He could laugh at the similarities._

_Her calling him out on his shit. Him refusing to give in._

_He wished it had the power to snap him out of this dream state now though._

_But that wasn't happening. _

_Sighing, he pushed himself back until he was sitting up against the leather headboard. _

_The moment had broken and Caroline looked away. "I just want you to talk to me."_

_The words themselves were deceptive – it wasn't the plea of a girl who sought attention; it was the request of a woman who wanted his soul._

_But he couldn't let her have it. _

_Not that too._

_"You should just give up," he said suddenly and Caroline's head snapped up._

_"On what?"_

On me.

_But he didn't say it. They both knew already. _

_Her eyes lit up as an idea seemed to come to her, driving her to sit up straight. "I could always make you. I'm in control here, remember?"_

_Klaus growled again. The last thing he needed was her poking around his head. And if there was anyone who could pull something like that off, it would be her._

_He was considering his options when he saw it._

_A slight shimmering in the air, something neither would have noticed in reality. But in this dream space, where every experience was heightened tenfold, it was practically a traffic cone._

_The thin shimmering line clearly began to separate the two._

_Caroline frowned as Klaus smirked. "Tired are we, love?"_

_"What's going on?"_

_"You're falling asleep," he answered simply, a slow smug smile spreading over his face._

_Her frown deepened as a look of anger quickly replaced her shock. "What? No! What's going to happen now?"_

_Klaus felt it slipping. His mind was becoming foggier and foggier as the shimmer grew thicker but weaker too, because it was a dream and those were the kinds of things that happened in dreams._

_Even fading ones._

_But Klaus had a trick up his sleeve and he smiled now as he concentrated in order to execute it._

_He grabbed a hold of Caroline's arm. It was their first touch in this dream space. _

_It wouldn't be their last._

_"Now you find out what happens when you hijack people's dreams, love."_

_Caroline expected everything to fade to black as she relaxed and maybe felt her head hit the pillow._

_In fact, nothing much happened at all._

_Not at first._

_She felt the urge to lie down, which she did, wondering where Klaus' tight grip had disappeared to._

_Where the man himself had gone._

_A weird peaceful feeling washed over her in strong waves that made her stomach lurch when the feeling would disappear for a few seconds._

_She felt a strange sudden tug and instinctively knew that she was being pulled into the realm of sleep. She wanted to go, she wanted to go so badly, but then she realised what that lurch in her stomach had been and her eyes popped open._

_She hadn't even known they were closed._

_She felt the same way she had when her seven year old self had gone for a swim and ended up being tugged from the pool by Mystic High's then Head Boy._

_His name had been Steven and he'd been handsome and buff and the best swimmer in the school. All the other girls had been jealous and she hadn't known whether to be gladder about her life being saved, or those golden biceps that had raised her from the depths of the water as her friends looked on in envy._

_"Steven Sasbury. I'll remember to thank him one day."_

_Klaus was staring at her, she knew that now._

_She was also painfully aware of the fact that they were in very similar positions as when she'd taken over his dream. _

Hijacked.

_Both his most recent words, and what he'd said to her as he'd taken her arm came back to her._

_This was her dream. _

_She'd fallen asleep, Klaus had taken over, and he was now in her head._

_"Are you scared, Caroline?" he said, his accent rolling over each world, but mostly her name._

_Always her name._

_"Why would I be scared?" she replied honestly._

_It hadn't been the response he'd been expecting but he liked it, she could tell._

_She bit her lip. Maybe he would talk now that he felt more in control. She couldn't wake up the next morning without knowing what his deal was. She began to push herself up._

_"Lay down," he ordered and she complied, albeit with a glare._

_She was curious to know what his plan was here. Taunt her with memories? Give her more sweet dreams of things she wished had happened? Tease her with things he shouldn't know?_

_With a jolt she realised that she no longer wore the pajama set she'd given her dream self, but rather what she'd really fallen asleep in: her bikini and Klaus' tank top._

_Klaus smiled and she swore he knew exactly what she was thinking._

_His eyes dropped to the length of her body and she knew that heavy-lidded look. _

_She tried to crane her neck to follow his lustful gaze but before she could move she felt his hand on the back of her thigh._

_She sucked in a sharp breath. Not only had she not been expecting that, but she also hadn't been expecting the intensity that accompanied it. _

_This dream space Klaus had created made everything feel different. Like there was absolutely nothing else in the world. Because really, there wasn't. No wind, no ambient sound, nothing._

_Right now there was only him and her and his warm rough hand on her thigh._

_And that hand as it moved slowly down her leg before reaching the crook of her knee._

_She almost gasped again as he tugged suddenly, pulling her leg up into a bent position._

_She bit back a smile. The domineering act was so typical Klaus. He always had to be in control. _

_Noting that there was no further movement, she looked down at him. He seemed to be staring curiously at the ties that held her string bikini bottom together. _

_This time she did smile. That was so typically Klaus too. Reduced to a fascinated little boy whenever he came up against something even remotely interesting._

_He began to toy with the ties and the smile disappeared, her entire body tensing._

_She still had no idea what the whole point of whatever he was doing was. If he had a plan of action, he sure was taking his time going about it._

_She'd hardly completed that thought before he began his ascent. _

_The way he crept up to her was almost animalistic and she held her breath, not knowing what he'd do once he reached her. _

_He'd asked her whether she was scared or not and she genuinely hadn't been able to think of a single reason why she should be._

_But now she reconsidered. _

_There was no question about whether she trusted him with her life or not. But with her mind? That was a completely different matter. This was a different playground all together and she could tell that he thrived here. _

_Here, where he could make her see what he wanted and change and shift reality and know things she hadn't told anyone else._

_Here where he'd brought her despite the fact that he too was asleep._

_His power was endless._

_So much power in one man._

_The man who was slowly making his way towards her, the moonlight glinting off the danger in his blue eyes._

_Finally his face hovered above hers._

_She noticed that he was being careful not to touch her any more._

_All she wanted to know was what was happening. With him, with this dream – at this point she'd settle for either._

_She steadied her voice. "What do you want, Klaus?"_

_His eyes bore into her own as his face moved steadily closer to hers._

_His lips began moving. Her eyes were still glued to his but she knew words were forming on his mouth because she felt his expelled air touch her own lips. _

_But no sound came._

_He seemed to be speaking frantically to her, emptying his soul, but with silence she could make no sense of._

_It was the most intimate thing she'd ever experienced with someone._

_There was nothing she was more desperate for in that moment than to know what he was saying. She felt like everything would make sense if she only knew._

_She finally broke their eye contact to flick her eyes down to his lips, no longer able to bear the temptation, when her heart dropped._

_He wasn't speaking English. _

_She could tell; by now she knew the way he formed every word. _

_Her eyes jumped back to his and she was surprised to note that they were now closed._

_She felt the eeriest sensation that he was praying._

_Suddenly his lips stopped moving._

_Caroline held her breath, unsure of what would happen now. _

_His head closed the last wisp of space between the two and their foreheads touched. _

_For the few seconds that he left his head there, Caroline felt like she could stay here forever. His unwavering devotion to her and the safety she felt with him there, as their foreheads simply touched, and the way her body reacted to his proximity – she felt like she would never get enough of any of it. _

_Which was why she began to panic when Klaus sighed heavily and began lifting himself from her._

_She had milliseconds to react._

_Propelled by impulse, her face followed his as it moved upwards and she quickened her movement so that in a few seconds her lips were crushing against his._

_It took a second for him to pull out of his shocked stupor before he began to kiss her back as if it had been what he'd wanted all along; he just hadn't known. _

_She pulled his head down with hers as their lips moved together frantically._

_As the heat of their tongues met, Klaus' hand unconsciously found the back of Caroline's bikini top and his long fingers absentmindedly played with the strings that held the piece of fabric together._

_He sought a release for the intensity of their mouths moving in unison, but his fingertips were driving her crazy as they erratically grazed her back, sending jolts of electricity surging to her toes. It made her want to bite down hard. Instead she pushed her lips against his painfully harder and arched her back, encouraging him to undo the knot._

_Klaus' eyes widened when he realised the significance of her actions and he pulled away, sitting up. _

_How did she manage it? Even in the dream he was controlling, she managed to take over. He couldn't control his own mind around her anymore, that much was becoming clear._

_Which meant he needed sleep but, most of all, to be away from her. _

_"Klaus," she whispered hoarsely as she struggled to regain her breath._

_He turned back to her before hesitantly lowering himself to hover above her once again. He began to play with one of the few tendrils of hair splayed out around her face, considering._

_It was clear what she wanted from him and it was one of the few things he wanted more than life itself, but there was one thing he wanted more._

_And he wouldn't take one without having the other._

_He lowered his face to hers again, much the same as when he had muttered Latin against her sweet lips._

_He wanted to commit this to memory. Being close to her. It wouldn't be happening again._

_This was the end of the road for them._

_And though there was a sweet sense of relief to being able to put a stop to it all; to glimpse a light at the end of the tunnel – the acute sense of losing the one woman he loved more than anything else far outweighed it._

_Caroline noticed it easily: the plumes of smoke rolling in through the bottom of the hotel room's door were even more noticeable than the shimmering air had been earlier. _

_"Klaus," she repeated, pleading. "Don't."_

_"It's what you and I will always be after all, Caroline. A dream."_

_I will swallow my pride_

_You're the one that I love_

_And I'm saying _

_Goodbye_

* * *

Um, so. I wrote that.

I hope it made up for the previous chapter in some ways. Dying to know what you guys thought about the dream, please please please let me know.

Any ideas about what it was that Klaus said to Caroline in Latin? He wasn't actually praying (nor was he reading the bible for religious purposes, but simply because it was reading material). Additionally, what do you think Elijah's package is? (Honestly, I have no idea, I'm just fishing for suggestions here, lol).

A few chapters ago many of you were annoyed with Caroline and the fact that Klaus was basically stuck just putting up with her shit and being hurt all the time. And I was just kind of giggling the slightest bit because I knew this was coming. Although there's nothing much to laugh about because I hate these two fighting, ugh. But also, you guys were right, it was high time that Klaus stood up for himself a little and the end of this chapter definitely represents him ending the crazy confusion of them. So, sad face :(

This chapter is mostly owed to a fanfic I read here. I toyed with the idea of writing a roadtrip chapter but was unsure, till I found this amazing fic. Queue author envy and boom bam, I knew I had to do a version of Klaroline on the road as well. This chapter was nothing like the insane hilarity and amazingness of _The Wide and Open Road _by _Biana Delacroix_, so I suggest you go read that as well. It is seriously so good.

Lyrics are from _Say Something _by _A Great Big World_. I just recently discovered this song but pretty much the entire thing matches this chapter perfectly, which is why you'll notice I put some of the lyrics at the end as well, lol.

P.S. If you're ever bored I would totally recommend googling the Francis Marion Hotel. I did my best to describe it in this chapter but definitely did not do how gorgeous it is enough justice.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20: Mikaelson**

_This could be good _

_It's already better than that_

_Nothing is worse than knowing you're holding back_

_I could be all that you're needing_

_If you let me try_

Caroline woke to the sound of light rhythmic breathing and for a second she felt panic set in.

Then the previous day's memories came back to her and she remembered it was Klaus on the bed beside her… far beside her.

Deciding she didn't need another profile view of his peaceful sleeping form, she opted to climb straight out of bed without even turning her head.

Her feet hit the floor and that sense of frozen time you feel right after awakening broke, bringing a wave of heat with it.

It was going to be another scorcher; possibly hotter than the day before.

Rolling her eyes and again thanking her lucky stars that she was a vampire thus the effect was dissipated, she quietly hopped down from the massive bed.

Walking over to the table to grab her bag of purchases, she pulled off Klaus' tank top. She wondered for a second how she was going to survive this day if she couldn't even keep an item as thin as that on.

Then again, Klaus' amazing SUV had air-conditioning.

The thought of cool hair blasting all over her made Caroline grin as she made her way to the bathroom.

Momentarily forgetting her mental pact with herself, she looked at Klaus on the bed.

A blush instantly overwhelmed her.

He was lying on his stomach. Besides his other tattoo – a pointless-seeming triangle on his right shoulder that her eyes lingered on anyhow – there was, of course, the towel situation.

Klaus' tossing during the night had caused the knot holding the towel together to unravel completely, and he now slept on half of it while the other half just barely concealed his butt.

Caroline had the intense urge to giggle like a schoolgirl but she repressed it instead, pushing into the bathroom quickly.

So she could giggle there.

* * *

Klaus stirred at the sound of running water.

Groggily he realised that Caroline had to be taking a shower. He rubbed a hand over his face and through his hair, going through the agenda for the day.

_Collect Elijah's damn package._

_Get the hell out of dodge._

_Find a way to get over the blonde he'd spent the night sharing only a bed with._

That last one might take a while.

Klaus sat up, slinging his legs over the edge of the bed, and took in the state of himself and the room in general.

He smirked. Based on his state of dress and his top puddled on the floor, it certainly looked like something besides sleeping had occurred in this room last night.

He stood up, picking the towel up from the bed to wrap it around his waist again, lest Caroline should make a hasty entrance.

He sped over to the table where he'd left his phone last night only to find no new messages or calls.

Great brother he had, not even checking up on the progress of his own package or Klaus.

Perfect older brother, right there.

Klaus rolled his eyes at his own dramatic thoughts. Truthfully he expected nothing more from Elijah.

He grabbed his bag and began pulling on clothes from it.

He supposed his dramatic thoughts were just a way of distracting himself from the fact that Caroline was in the shower at this very moment. And then there was the dream. The dream, of course. It couldn't be forgotten.

It had just made everything ten times more complicated.

* * *

Caroline opened her eyes as the cool water pelted her body from all directions.

It was the weirdest shower she'd ever been in. There were no shower heads, only vertically arranged holes in the three walls. The whole thing was about the size of her entire bathroom back home so initially she'd withdrawn against the glass panel, sure the scary-seeming water wouldn't all be able to reach her.

She'd been wrong, but pleasantly so. She now revelled in the steady stream of water and thought of it more as a massage than an assault.

Running a hand through her hair to make sure it was properly saturated with what would essentially be her cooling mechanism till she made it to Klaus's car, Caroline closed her eyes again.

What she saw behind her lids didn't surprise her.

Klaus murmuring incomprehensible words against her lips.

Klaus' lips _on_ hers.

His hands driving her insane as she didn't even try to resist, desperate for more of him.

And then those words.

_It's what you and I will always be after all, Caroline. A dream._

The words had made little sense in her dream state, but now their meaning was obvious. He couldn't have said it any clearer.

He had given up on her.

She scrunched her face, biting down on her lip as she pinched her eyes closed.

She never would have expected it to hurt this much. Maybe because she hadn't expected it, not from him.

_I intend to be your last. However long it takes._

She pressed the buttons on the wall to stop the endless supply of water before pulling in her towel. She had to get out now otherwise it wouldn't be long till her tears would mingle freely with the suds.

At least when the shower was off she knew she couldn't cry.

Not when he could hear.

Having already brushed her teeth in between her obscene giggling, Caroline quickly pulled on first the lingerie set then the sundress. It was white and dotted with small pink flowers, with a lace back.

She was tying the strings behind her neck when she realised that things outside the bathroom were strangely quiet.

She spritzed on some of the hotel's complimentary perfume, laid another dollop of the rich body cream on her hands then stepped out into the room.

Caroline frowned. Klaus was nowhere to be seen, but in his place on the freshly-made bed was a platter of breakfast confectionaries.

She made her way to the breakfast tray, thirstily eyeing the pitcher of orange juice.

A small note lay underneath the silver fork.

Her heart pounded as it always did when she received notes from Klaus.

_Meet you at the car in 15._

_Enjoy._

_Klaus._

* * *

Having grown bored with her own thoughts as she waited without knowing what was happening, Caroline had climbed out of the car.

She stood outside the curio shop's door now and from what she could see through the window, Klaus was heavily annoyed with the staff.

Her hand was reaching out to the doorknob when she heard Klaus' voice creep dangerously low.

"Have it prepared in the next half hour or I'm going to snap your pretty little neck and drink your tasty blood, do you understand me?"

Caroline's eyes widened as her head snapped to view the woman's male co-worker, but he seemed not to have noticed or heard anything.

Caroline shook her head disapprovingly as the woman scampered off, terrified after Klaus' compulsion.

Caroline retrieved her hand from the doorknob and stood aside, considering, as she pulled her arms in to fold them.

After eating she'd met Klaus at the car. He'd seemed unable to stop himself from checking her out but still hadn't said a single word before opening her door for her and driving them back here.

The silence had been even thicker and more awkward than it had been the day before, especially with Caroline not even attempting to begin a conversation. For once she'd been rendered well and truly speechless. Because what was there to say after what he'd said to her last night?

All she could think about how she'd come on this roadtrip to spend time with him and instead she'd ended up feeling more lonely in his presence than she ever had before. It felt alien, going from being paid so much attention and adoration, to hardly being noticed.

Besides, none of it mattered. He'd given up on her.

And his cold shoulder made it clear that he wasn't interested in continuing their friendship either.

Her own words from not that long ago came back to her: _You are nothing to me. Do you understand that? Not my friend. Not my potential last love. Nothing._

She bitterly thought that she should go into the prophesying business, before she shoved the heavy door open anyway and pushed her way into the store.

She registered a look of surprise on Klaus' face but ignored him, heading towards the sandy-haired man behind the counter.

"Excuse me."

He looked up at her and smiled. "How can I help, miss?"

"Where's the nearest bus station?"

"About a five minute walk that way," he said, pointing.

She nodded, thanked him politely and made her way back out, straight in the direction he'd pointed out.

She'd trudged along for less than a minute before there was a rush of air behind her and a hand on her arm.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"To the bus station," she replied, shaking off his arm.

"Don't," he said and she froze.

Using her plea from last night against her? That was low.

She remained with her back towards him, unable to imagine what he thought he could possibly say that would make her change her mind.

Besides reminding her that his car had air-conditioning and the bus didn't, of course.

But he didn't say anything at all and she rolled her eyes.

"Go away, Klaus."

She started walking again and he trailed behind, grimly smirking.

"You really plan on taking the _bus_ back to Mystic Falls?"

"Yes!" she exclaimed, turning on him. "And you know what, it beats spending another single awkward minute with you!"

"That's harsh."

"_Harsh_? We are currently having the longest conversation we've had since leaving Mystic Falls and it's because I'm trying to get away from you! Speaking of which," she added, turning away again and resuming her escape.

"I don't know what you expect from me. You asked to come along."

"You mean when you told me that Elijah asked you to come here?"

She spun around, fuming. She'd figured out his lie in the car earlier.

"You don't do _anything _people ask you to, and especially not picking up some package you had to roadtrip to fetch for your _brother. _You offered because you wanted out. Out of town and away from me."

He didn't say anything, just stared at her guiltily and she recoiled. That was all the confirmation she needed.

"You're being unreasonable," he started as she quickened her step.

"Unreasonable? I'm being completely reasonable. You wanted away from me, I'm taking myself out of the equation," she said, stretching her arms out beside her.

"I don't know what more you want from me," he muttered, lagging behind.

"Yesterday, I would've settled for the truth. Today I just want you to leave me the hell alone," she said, as she made it to the bus stop and collapsed onto the bench.

Klaus kicked at the dirt as he stood before her. His temper was rising and while he usually did his best to keep it in check around Caroline, there was only so much of his nature he could keep a lid on.

"Well that's just like you, isn't it? Always changing your mind about what you want."

Caroline looked up at him, hurt, and he was glad. He'd pressed one of her buttons.

"You want the truth? Fine. I did offer to come here! I wanted out! I _wanted _away from you!" he threw her words back at her, relishing each time she winced.

Somewhere along the line he'd lost his ability to make her fear him. All he had left was hurting her.

"You found our time together awkward? Every _minute_ with you was torture to me."

It was true, but he was depending on her interpreting it incorrectly.

"Klaus, stop," she said breathlessly, as if on the verge of tears.

"Stop what? Stop being the monster? It's who I am, Caroline. And that's who you want me to be. It's why I'll never be good enough. We both know that's true so let's just stop pretending, shall we?" His voice dropped. "So you can go back to your _friends _and tell them you were all right all along."

Caroline blinked as things finally began to make sense. "That's what this is about? Elena?"

Klaus said nothing as he stared at her with his jaw clenched, daring her to disagree with him.

"Klaus, I was just – "

"Doing what anybody would have done," he finished for her. "After all, you can't have your best friend and your murderous mentor in the same room, now can you?"

He spat the words and she knew what he was doing. That was what they were to each other now.

_Murderous mentor._

It made her feel sick to her stomach.

She couldn't believe how stupid and blind she'd been but she guessed that sometimes she forgot the power she held. Sometimes she forgot how easily the hybrid hurt.

"Enjoy your bus ride," he muttered bitterly, before turning and walking away.

"So all that stuff about being my last love was just a pile of crap, huh?" she called after him, desperate.

This couldn't be it.

It couldn't.

He turned around slowly as she stood up.

"I shouldn't have made promises I couldn't keep," he said so low that she only just caught it.

But she wasn't a wilted flower, damnit. She was Caroline Forbes and no man just walked away from her.

She sped up right up to him. "Don't do this."

He laughed humourlessly. "Why not?"

It was a dare.

And a Truth.

This was her chance. To make him stay. And there were so many things she could have said, all of them true.

But she knew she could only say what she was ready to act on.

"I need you, Klaus."

She looked into his eyes as they widened.

"I'm sorry. I get it. What I did was insensitive and thoughtless and especially stupid because I, of all people, should know what it's like to be insecure and I treated you like you meant nothing to me and I'm sorry," she rambled.

He opened his mouth but she shook her head vehemently, plunging on.

"I was dumb and I hurt you and I can't believe I only just realised that." She lowered her eyes, unable to confess the rest as forcefully. "But I didn't just realise that I need you, Klaus. And I know it's not fair but it's the truth. You turned me into this," she gestured at herself, though it hardly added more meaning, "and don't get me wrong, I like it, I do. It's just that you're the only other person who really thinks so too."

There was more she could've said.

_When we kissed last night it could've gone all the way; you were a gentleman and stopped but I really really wanted you._

_There are about a dozen other times I've felt that way in the past two weeks._

_I'm not sure anymore why I have a boyfriend who isn't you._

_I don't want you to give up on your promise. _

She didn't.

"I need you."

They stared at each other, his eyes searching her face as she awaited his forgiveness.

"For the next few days, that is. Till you leave again for college," he reminded her bitterly.

She bit the inside of her cheek lightly. "Or maybe I won't."

It wasn't a rash decision, not really. For a while now, she would think about it idly, every now and then – about going off to college again. About how it would feel, a few days from now, when she would pack up her life before mentally preparing herself to spend two hours in a car with Elena as she made her way to Klaus' to say goodbye. But that was where her imagination would stutter to a halt, because of the truth.

The truth being that she really didn't know how she could leave him.

_Somehow_. Somehow the past two weeks had impossibly entwined him within her life and now she had no idea how to let him go.

His eyes widened in surprise and confusion. "What are you saying?"

Caroline took a deep breath. "I'm saying that I love college and I want to go back, but I have the rest of eternity to do that, don't I? Sometimes… there are just things that are more important," she ended cryptically. "I mean I haven't made up my mind yet and I still need to talk to my mom, but…" she drifted off.

She was offering him something. He couldn't be certain what it was. It wasn't what he could have had last night, nor was it what he truly wanted.

But she needed him all the same. To be something to her that nobody else was. That nobody else could be.

And if she wanted that then surely it was what he wanted too.

_Right_?

Christ, what had she done to him?

The tiniest smile formed on his face, quite involuntarily, and he quickly ducked his head to hide it.

It was a small but modest gesture that Caroline caught because of course she did; she was Caroline Forbes. And just like that, just that look of utter disbelief coupled with the arresting adorability of him trying to hide it, was enough to set her decision in stone. Whitmore would have to wait.

His bowed head was so close to her neck that for a second she deluded herself into imagining that he would rest it in the crook of her body and everything would just finally be alright.

But they were Caroline Forbes and Klaus Mikaelson and that would be too easy, wouldn't it?

His head lifted and she saw that his smile had shifted from joyous to cunning.

"Let's go get that bloody package, shall we?"

* * *

The air conditioning was at full blast, Klaus had started a classical music CD and he was talking to her again. Things were going well.

Caroline glanced toward the backseat, eyeing the large wrapped box Klaus had placed there.

"I really want to know what's in there."

"Elijah's dignity?" Klaus suggested with a smirk.

Caroline rolled her eyes before leaning back to grab the package. It was a little heavy but she managed to pull it over and onto her lap.

She poked and prodded but all the information that yielded was that the real package was inside a sturdy box. She shook it hardly any movement came from inside.

Groaning, she stared at the plain gold wrapping paper in annoyance.

She pouted at Klaus. "I hate not knowing things."

He laughed. "That much is clear."

She huffed at his taunting then gasped when she caught sight of a tiny card tucked inside a flap. Maybe it would give her some kind of clue about what the box contained.

"_We hope this is to your satisfaction, Mr Mikaelson_." Caroline huffed. "That didn't help at all.

She ran a thumb over the pretty card, noting the calligraphy and the word placement. Finally her finger came to rest on the last name.

"Mikaelson," she repeated aloud for no real reason.

Klaus shifted. "I hate that name," he growled out.

Caroline frowned at him in surprise. "Why?"

"It was my father's – " he stopped himself. "_Stepfather's _name. _Mikael_."

Caroline stared at Klaus for a few seconds, then turned back to look at the card.

She remembered the first time she'd seen their last name: on the invitation that Klaus had sent her to his family's ball, along with that amazing dress.

She knew how much he hated his father, and probably with good reason, but she couldn't help thinking that Klaus had it wrong.

"I know that Mikaelson technically comes from your parents and you had issues with them, but that's not all it means, you know," she started.

He looked at her questioningly.

"You're the Original family. Nobody cares about Esther or Mikael – they care about the three Mikaelsons who make them quake in fear. Klaus, the guy most people still believe is a myth but are pretty freaking scared of anyway."

Klaus smiled beneath her praise and she continued.

"It's why I find it _just a little_ crazy that I'm _roadtripping_ with you right now while most vampires aren't even sure you exist, and then there are those like Carl who give up their lives in service just to meet you and gain your trust. That's what _Mikaelson _means to the world."

She took a breath. "And then there's what it means to you."

He cocked his head, frowning. "And what does it mean to me?" he asked curiously.

"It means family," she replied simply.

Klaus focused his eyes back on the road, swallowing a lump in his throat.

"And yes, you use your family and stick them in coffins because you're not Elijah – the _noble_ one." She paused. "But that doesn't mean that you don't love them. That they don't mean everything to you."

People didn't understand him. She did and for some reason sometimes she still pretended not to. She didn't want to do that anymore

"Elijah and Rebekah mean the world to you even though you totally suck at showing it," she laughed lightly. "That's what Mikaelson means."

She hesitated for a second, considering whether to continue or not.

_Oh, what the hell._

"And I also happen to like it," she added.

_Caroline Donovan, Caroline Donovan, Caroline Donovan. _She remembered scrawling that into her notebook, once, what felt like a million years ago.

Being in love and happy and taking a man's last name had once seemed so important to her. Now it was the last thing on her mind.

Still, she couldn't help thinking that _Caroline Mikaelson _didn't sound too bad.

She was blushing at her thoughts when she realised that Klaus' eyes were on her.

"Then maybe it isn't so bad after all," he settled on, though his mind ran rampant with so much more.

He'd told her before that she knew him well, but that wasn't the least of it. Exactly how well she knew him scared him.

The way she could praise his power and almost playfully acknowledge the hint of jealousy he felt toward his brother, whilst still managing to find the heart of the matter – it boggled his mind.

"You should probably put that back before Elijah blames me for it being creased," he lightened the moment.

She rolled her eyes. "As if you're scared of Elijah," but she put it back anyway.

Her words sent another wave of pride washing over him and he had to bite back a smile.

She sighed as she tapped against the window pane through which tree after tree still swiftly flew past. So. Many. Trees.

"Do you want to talk about last night?" Caroline asked suddenly, not looking at him.

It had been on her mind for a while now. Yes it had just been a dream and yeah they hadn't really talked about the last dream they'd shared either, but they'd made out and she'd wanted him to remove her bikini top and she thought that _maybe _that was something they might need to address.

He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "Do you?"

Her hands were on her lap as her fingers fidgeted nervously. "I feel like we probably _should_."

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to, Caroline."

When there was no reply, he turned to find her mysteriously smiling at him.

"What?" he asked.

"It's just nice to have the normal Klaus back again," she replied.

He only smiled and shook his head, turning his attention back to the road.

After a few minutes of gazing out of her window, Caroline decided that she did want to talk about it.

Every time something happened between them they just kind of ended up sweeping it under the rug, but she felt like this time was different. It had to be.

"It's obvious that the whole… strict friendship thing isn't working out," she started.

Klaus shrugged. "Neither did whatever we were doing before, really."

She nodded. He was right. At the time it had made a strange kind of sense for them but whether it had really worked was definitely debatable. She'd felt guilty all the time, he'd felt lacking and Tyler knew nothing about whatever went on behind his back.

"But Tyler and I aren't working either," she breathed, biting the inside of her lip as she watched another tree whizz past.

Klaus frowned at the windscreen, wondering what she was getting at.

"Because of his brilliant master plan?" he sarcastically mocked the hybrid.

"No."

She'd given this some thought, in some of the quiet time in the car yesterday when Klaus had been ignoring her.

And then of course there was the way she'd acted with Klaus in their dream last night; how upset she'd been the past two days by his lack of reaction to her.

"I'm not sure what it was exactly that happened between us but he used to be what I wanted and now he just… isn't," she elaborated.

Then she took a deep breath.

"I don't think I'm in love with him anymore," Caroline confessed.

The silence was heavy as the magnitude of her words settled in.

She felt like maybe she should've been crying but she really didn't have the slightest inclination to. Though she never thought that _Klaus_ would be the first person she'd confide in about something like this, she felt good about it. It was a clearheaded analysis, something she hadn't been able to do in a long time.

Though she had no idea what she was going to do about it. She still didn't know whether she could find it in herself to break Tyler's heart. Nothing had changed, after all – he still swore that he needed her.

The logical next question swirled around Klaus' mind – what _did _she want, then? – but he couldn't bring himself to ask it. Not when the answer could be something he wouldn't be able to handle.

She had already admitted to needing him, he couldn't force her for more now.

"What are you thinking about?" her voice rang out.

There was a long pause as he allowed her words to become tangible and settle in his chest.

She didn't love him.

"I'm just wondering how long after the performance poor Cindy was exiled," he replied lightly.

It was a lie and she knew it but she smiled anyway.

"About two point five seconds," she smirked and they both burst out laughing.

* * *

Caroline's eyes fluttered open, feeling the car come to a smooth stop.

No way had she been sleeping for long enough for them to have gotten back to Mystic Falls already.

She rubbed a hand over her eyes sleepily before turning to Klaus.

He was smiling down at her and she couldn't help smiling back.

"Hungry?"

She thought for a second then nodded.

His smile broadened. "Then let's go."

She grinned at his casual address then smoothed down her dress before climbing out of the car and following him into a restaurant they were evidently parked outside of.

She almost began giggling. It was not the kind of place she'd ever imagined Klaus would take her to, particularly considering the hotel they'd just come from.

"I can't believe you brought me from a five star hotel to a taco restaurant," Caroline laughed as they grabbed a booth.

He blushed a little, laughing as he looked down at the table. The menus were already on it, waiting for potential customers.

"I'm sorry, food completely slipped my mind until I saw this place."

She smiled. He was adorable sometimes.

"Don't worry. I happen to love tacos," she informed him.

He was grinning back at her when a waitress came up to them.

"Wow, aren't you two a good-looking couple!" she grinned. "I'm Charlotte, what can I get you?"

Klaus, reeling from the woman's random and enthusiastic greeting, said the first thing that came to mind: "A beer."

Caroline wanted to laugh at Klaus' reaction then realised that she hadn't even looked at the menu yet.

"Uh, a milkshake."

"Any particular flavour or just luck of the draw?" Charlotte joked, winking.

"Strawberry," Caroline decided.

The waitress nodded happily and made her way to the kitchen.

"Strawberry milkshake?" Klaus asked, smirking a little.

"Are you making fun of my choice of drink right now, Mr Clichéd Beer Guy?"

Klaus laughed, "Ok, I deserved that."

Damn right he did.

They settled back into their seats, looking over the menu. It was little more than a decision between a beef or chicken filling and hundreds of different variations of toppings.

"I'm surprised you didn't correct her," Klaus stated suddenly, causing Caroline to look up from her colourful menu.

"I didn't think it was necessary seeing as I'm never going to see her again."

His responding knowing smirk just made her roll her eyes as she returned her attention to her menu.

"Ok," Charlotte said happily when she came back, placing their drinks down, "a beer and a strawberry milkshake. Decided on food yet?"

"Uh, yeah," Caroline quickly said.

She wanted to order first this time to make Klaus think that she was actually ready, even though in reality she was only now mentally picking the first thing her eyes landed on.

Dragging her eyes up to the hazel-eyed waitress, she smiled. "I'll have the Guacamole Beef."

"Extra spicy?"

"Sure," Caroline agreed.

Charlotte giggled. "French or curly fries?"

Caroline shrugged. "Curly."

"What about you?" she asked, turning to Klaus.

"The All-Meat, extra gherkins."

Charlotte laughed to herself as she muttered, penning down his order: "Brits are so cute. Extra… pickles," she finished writing.

"Curly or French?"

"Curly."

"Okie dokie, I'll have you two sorted out in no time!"

Charlotte headed off and Klaus shook his head disapprovingly.

"No person should be that chipper working in a place like this."

"It's not so bad!" Caroline admonished, looking around.

The walls were bright orange with little cartoonised taco-men scattered all over the wallpaper. The squeaky plastic booths were the same shade of orange while the tables were a dark green, covered by a thin film of plastic. The floors were such a bright white that it kind of hurt to look at it for too long.

So maybe it was pretty terrible. The kind of terrible that kids cried for hours to be brought to.

Klaus was staring at her pointedly as he watched her examine the place and she laughed when she looked back at him.

"Ok, well it's not _that _bad."

Klaus just smirked and shook his head. "All we can do is pray that the food is adequate," he intimated.

She was looking around for the kitchen, hoping to locate exiting meals to determine their quality, when Klaus spoke again.

"What did you mean earlier when you said that I'm the only one who likes you this way?"

She dragged her eyes back to him reluctantly. She didn't really want to talk about this.

"Well we both already know Tyler's opinion of me and the other night what Elena came by to say was basically that she thought I was turning into some kind of evil monster."

Klaus frowned. "Why would she say that?"

"Apparently killing your friend's boyfriend just doesn't go down as well as you may think," she joked.

But Klaus rolled his eyes. "That doppelganger always takes things far too seriously."

It made her smile.

* * *

"No."

"It's been a day and a half since we've been home, Caroline," he reminded her.

"And it's two hours till we get back there!"

"I'm hungry."

"You literally just ate a massive plate of food."

"It's borrowing."

"Oh, is she gonna get her blood back?" she asked sassily.

"Not from me, but yes," Klaus joked before narrowing his eyes at her. "You just like her."

She scoffed. "That is _so _not what this is about! It doesn't matter whether it's our waitress or one of the kitchen staff. If I can wait, so can you."

He looked at her for a few seconds before smirking gently. She had two seconds to wonder what game he was playing before the black veins began to crawl up from his cheeks as his eyes turned that brilliant gold.

She hated that he was so beautiful.

"Ugh, fine. You know, one would think you'd have a bit more self-control seeing as you're _one thousand years old_," she muttered.

He only smiled at her insult, his fangs showing.

She should not have been as turned on by that as she was.

"I'm waiting in the car," she announced before making her way out.

God, he got to her.

* * *

"You know, you won't always be able to rely on blood bags," Klaus stated an hour after they'd left the restaurant.

He'd taken a few minutes to pay their bill and get some blood from Charlotte before he'd strolled out of the restaurant looking very satisfied with himself.

She winced. "Could we steer clear of the topic of blood right now?"

It was making her stomach turn in a way that to a human would've been sickness, but to her was definitely a craving.

Klaus smirked. "Hungry, sweetheart?"

"No," she bit out. "I just ate."

He only smiled knowingly as she went back to concentrating on the road.

As she began tapping her fingers on the dashboard, Caroline found herself uncomfortably tuning in to the pounding of Klaus' heart. She tried pressing her eyes closed but before long they were zoomed in on the pulse on Klaus' wrist.

She had to think about something else.

She had to talk. That always helped.

"So I've been thinking about something _you _said earlier."

"And what's that?"

She was about to reply when he interrupted.

"Caroline, why are you staring at my neck?"

"What? What are you talking about?" she blabbered. "No, I'm not."

"The lady doth protest too much," he replied, smirking.

"Ugh," she muttered.

"We can stop if you're hungry, Caroline," he assured her.

She looked out of her window, frowning. She swore Klaus took the back roads everywhere.

"We're in the middle of nowhere."

"So you are hungry," he noted triumphantly.

He was so sneaky!

She scoffed. "_No_. I meant that hypothetically."

He ignored her lie. "Or you can drink from me if you want," he offered.

"I don't want your blood," she lied.

That sounded like a totally amazing idea right now.

"You say that as if you haven't done so before."

She really didn't need that reminder right now. She could practically taste the rich substance exiting the self-inflicted wound he'd made for her on his wrist as it made its silken way down her throat.

"I was dying, I didn't exactly have a choice," she countered, trying to ignore her watering mouth.

He shrugged with a small smile. "Ah well, in that case I'll keep an eye out for hitchhikers."

She glared. "Anyway, _like I was saying,_ you said something earlier, when we were arguing."

He nodded. "And I asked what that was."

She took a deep breath. "Well, you said that I thought you were a monster. You know that's not true, right?"

His hands gripped the steering wheel tighter as he made a concerted effort not to look at her.

"Regardless, it's what I am."

Her heart sunk as she saw his steeled expression. Why did he find it so hard to believe in the good in himself?

_How could you possibly think that?_

That had been his reply when she'd said that she thought a part of him was still human.

_I'll never be good enough._

That's what he'd told her today.

She hated that he thought of himself as a monster who'd been born to be a murderer but she had no idea how she could possibly change his mind. Her only option was to rid him of his ridiculous notion that he didn't deserve her.

"Maybe," she began. "Or maybe you're just too wrapped up in what everybody's always telling you." Then she smiled. "Still, it doesn't really matter. Because I like you the way you are right now, Klaus."

And as she said it, she realised how true it had really become. She didn't like the bad guy, that wasn't it. She just liked _him_. There was absolutely nothing stereotypical about them, no readymade moulds to fit them into. She didn't like him for the good parts and put up with the bad.

She liked him, it was as simple as that. She liked _Klaus_.

And he still wasn't looking at her but she needed to drive her point home.

"You _are _good enough."

* * *

His hand gently shook her shoulder and when she opened her eyes she could tell that dusk was approaching.

"Are we home?"

He smirked. "We're outside your house."

"Oh. Ok."

She rubbed a sleepy hand over her eyes then her hair, cringing at how awful she probably looked right now. She heard the slam of a car door before hers opened in front of her, the cool air outside blowing into the car.

Still trying to wake herself up properly, she blinked a few more times before climbing out.

"You don't have to walk me to my door, you know," she said, falling into step beside him.

"I know," he replied simply.

They reached her porch, where she realised all the house's lights were still off – her mother was at work. Caroline faltered a little, unsure of how, after everything that had happened between them in the last few days, Klaus would respond to being invited in. She stopped and turned to him.

"So uh, thanks for… this. The whole roadtrip thing." He was staring at her in amusement and she felt the need to add something more. "Um, I hope Elijah's happy with his package."

So maybe not the most eloquent of speeches, but she _had _just woken up.

Klaus smirked. "After all that occurred – "

He cut off mid-sentence, cocking his head.

"Klaus? What's wrong?"

"Follow me," he ordered in a low voice before he started trudging off behind her house.

They hadn't gone far before they both found themselves huddling over a barely-breathing and profusely sweating Carl.

"Werewolf venom," Klaus immediately diagnosed.

"What?" Caroline exclaimed. "Who could have done that to him?"

Klaus' lips were pulled into a straight line as he bent down to check Carl's pulse.

"We still have some time. I'll carry him, you get into the car and make sure Rebekah and Elijah are at my house within the next five minutes," he instructed.

She felt frozen but some part of her still managed to nod and pull her phone from her pocket.

Carl. He'd been here, waiting to take over protecting her from Klaus, when he'd been attacked by some werewolf. He was dying because of her.

She climbed into Klaus' SUV and was dialling Rebekah's number when she realised that she didn't actually have Elijah's. She only had the Original sister's from when it had been necessary during their party-planning high school days together.

Behind her, Klaus dropped Carl from over his shoulder and onto the backseat, moving Elijah's package to the floor.

"Rebekah!" Caroline cried out in relief as soon as the other blonde had picked up.

"Why are you calling me and why are you screeching into my ear?" Rebekah asked in irritation.

Klaus climbed into the seat beside her and the car jerked as he pulled away.

"Klaus needs you come to his house right now."

"Well you can tell Klaus that I'm not his little – "

"Be there," Klaus growled. "Hang up the phone, Caroline."

"Uh, please tell Elijah too!" she yelled before hanging up.

Klaus looked at her in confusion.

"I don't have his number," she explained sheepishly.

He would have smiled if his mind wasn't reeling with worry. Not for the vampire on his backseat, but for the one beside him. If Caroline had been home tonight with only Carl as her protector, she would have been attacked too.

Klaus gripped on to the steering wheel tighter to stop himself from seeing red.

They pulled up outside Klaus' mansion in record time and he'd gone and returned from inside his house before Caroline had even had time to climb out of her seat.

She watched his eyes turn amber then smelled his rich blood as it dripped into a tumbler. He passed the glass to her. She fought off the urge to look at it, knowing that she could definitely do with some of his blood right now.

_Focus, Caroline._

"Give him this."

She nodded, taking it from him and rushing to the back of the car to save her bodyguard.

Klaus sped back inside, grabbing two blood bags from his fridge.

He passed them to Caroline when she came walking in, looking far more worried than she should have for some random vampire.

"He's going to be fine," he found himself re-assuring her anyway.

She nodded appreciatively then pointedly looked down at the blood bags with a little smile.

"Thanks."

He was about to reply when his sister came walking in, closely followed by Elijah.

"About bloody time," he said and Rebekah rolled her eyes.

"Care to explain why there's a dying vampire in your car?" Rebekah queried impatiently.

"I'm certain that's why we're here, Rebekah. Patience," Elijah soothed.

"That vampire is the one who protects Caroline. I returned her to her home this evening to find him dying of werewolf poison."

Rebekah had seemed utterly bored since the moment she'd arrived but now her eyebrows shot up.

"_Werewolf poison_?"

With unspoken agreement, all the Originals turned to look at the blonde who stood quietly sucking on a blood bag.

Caroline's eyes widened. "Why is everybody looking at me?"

"Because except for my brother, the only other werewolf in town is your moronic boyfriend," Rebekah pointed out.

Caroline thought of the werewolf prints Klaus and Carl had found outside her house the day after Christmas.

"What about the – "

But she floundered when, almost imperceptibly, Klaus pointedly shook his head.

"The, uh… other werewolves in the world?" she finished off lamely. "Any of them could have come to town."

"Niklaus exhausted most of this continent's werewolf population when he created his hybrid army," Elijah explained patiently.

"Oh." Caroline shrugged, feeling stupid. "Well it wasn't Tyler."

"I agree with Caroline," Klaus said, to everyone's surprise. "He must have been injected, there was no bite."

"So you think it's another Hunter?" Rebekah asked through gritted teeth.

She hadn't forgotten the effects she'd suffered the last time a Hunter had come to town and gotten ahold of werewolf venom.

"If so, he still would have had to obtain it from somewhere," Elijah put in.

Once again they all turned to stare at Caroline.

"Ok, what now?"

"Did Tyler happen to mention anything about being attacked and venom-jacked?" Rebekah asked straightforwardly.

"No!" Caroline replied.

Rebekah huffed. "What is she even doing here? She's clearly useless."

"Rebekah, please," Elijah rebuked. "Caroline is free to stay. Besides, as Niklaus pointed out, her protective duty is currently outside recovering." He looked at Klaus uncertainly. "You _did _give him your blood?"

"Yes, though I probably should have let him die," Klaus muttered.

"Why would you do that?" Caroline asked in surprise.

Rebekah sighed deeply, clearly annoyed by the other blonde's voice and general presence.

"Because his job is to protect you, Caroline," Klaus said matter-of-factly. "You could have died tonight, for all the help he was."

Caroline was about to retort when a voice came from the doorway.

"I know, I'm sorry. Please forgive me, Klaus."

Everyone turned to Carl, Caroline with surprise. The only way there could have been more reverence in his stance was if he'd gone down on his knees.

"You have a lot of explaining to do, mate," Klaus replied.

Carl nodded resolutely. "After we spoke I got to the house. Everything seemed fine until someone grabbed me from behind and jabbed me in the neck. He says 'If you want to stay alive, you'll stop protecting the girl' then leaves."

"So it was a warning," Caroline realised. "He had to have known about your blood," she addressed Klaus.

Elijah explained to a confused-looking Carl: "He injected you with werewolf venom, to which the only cure is my brother's blood."

Carl's eyes widened before he bent his head respectfully. "Thank you, Klaus."

"Yes, well, corpses don't offer explanations," Klaus snapped. "I may still change my mind."

"He's kidding," Caroline offered, earning her a resulting glare from Klaus.

"Then I suppose we can agree to it not being a Hunter," Elijah despaired.

Rebekah nodded. "Hunters hate vampires; one would never have deliberately let Carl live."

"Well werewolves don't talk. And it wasn't a bite," Caroline reminded them.

"Regardless," Elijah said, "based on the warning he gave Carl, this person is evidently after you, Caroline. Our priority should be figuring out why."

Caroline's eyes widened as she realised that Elijah was right. But why would anyone want to kill her?

Klaus' jaw set as he considered his brother's words. He quickly whipped out his phone and began typing furiously before looking back up.

"Feel free to go wherever you go when you aren't doing a reprehensible job of protecting Caroline, mate," he snapped at Carl. "I've arranged alternate protection for her."

Carl's face fell, but he nodded silently with the air of one who thought himself as having gotten off lucky, before making his way out of the Mikaelson's ornate front doors.

Caroline shot Klaus a glare before following Carl out.

"Carl, hey, wait up!"

Carl turned around slowly, his eyes hooded with shame.

"I really am sorry for what happened tonight," he began.

She frowned. "What? No! Carl, I want to thank you."

When his eyes widened in confusion, she sighed. "You almost died tonight because you're protecting me. The only person who should be apologising here is me. And thank you."

"I'm not sure what to say," he confessed.

"Say you won't blame yourself."

He watched her for a few seconds, seeming uncertain, before nodding slowly.

Caroline grinned. "Great! Now go get some rest, ok? You're still going to be feeling a little weak for a while, trust me on this."

Carl nodded quickly again before disappearing, right as Klaus stepped out behind her.

Upon hearing his boots she immediately put on an annoyed expression before turning to face him.

"Did you have to be such a jerk to him?" she exclaimed.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I did," he retorted.

She folded her arms, scowling. "And why's that?"

He took a deep breath before nearing her, coming to a halt on the step just above hers.

"Do you understand that you could have died tonight?"

Caroline rolled her eyes. It was like Earl all over again.

"The point is that I didn't. And even if I had, Carl would still have died trying to protect me. Isn't that the least bit honourable in your eyes?" she shouted.

"No!" he yelled back, before taking a calming breath. "Because you'd still be dead."

She stared at his mutinous expression, so desperately worried about her, and fought off the urge to touch him and comfort him somehow. Instead she verbalised the best comfort she could think of.

"I still have your blood."

He blinked, nodding slowly as he recalled his Christmas gift to her, before he gestured with his head. "Come inside so we can talk about this."

Caroline's eyes flicked from him to the inside of his house. As good as spending more time with him sounded, just thinking about his siblings waiting inside exhausted her. She put a tired hand to her head.

"I'd rather just go home. It's been a long day."

He frowned. "My vampires aren't there yet."

When she made no move to agree, he inserted a plea in his tone. "Wait and I'll take you."

"I'd rather just go now. I've had enough of… that," she gestured behind him.

His jaw twitched. "Do you understand that there is someone out there trying to kill you?"

"Yes. And I can protect myself. You of all people should know that."

He took another deep breath and she wanted to smile. He was trying to learn to deal with her stubborn behaviour. Good.

"Fine, then take the car."

She turned to the SUV behind her, still haphazardly parked with half its doors ajar.

She thought of her mother or even Tyler.

"You know I can't do that."

"Can't or won't?"

"It's a two minute run, I'm sure I can make it alive," she countered.

Klaus' hands balled into his fists as she began walking off through his courtyard.

"At least let me know when you get home?" he called out.

She paused for a second then turned to give him one small smile before disappearing into the night.

* * *

I don't know why, but Klaus and Caroline's fight in this chapter is my favourite argument of theirs I've written. It kind of inspired many previous chapters since I wrote it long before most of what you've read so far. Often I wasn't sure how a Klaus/Caroline scene was going to go, then I came over and read this chapter and things made sense again.

I think it has something to do with the fact that I find Klaus' issue to be very well-founded. He knows how much Caroline's friends mean to her and if Caroline isn't willing to acknowledge that she likes Klaus, never mind that she is friends with him, then how can they ever have a future as a couple? He promised to be her last but Elena is immortal just like they are, so there is definitely logic in Klaus' viewpoint. And while I don't think Caroline is quite ready to tell Elena yet, she's made some kind of step towards showing him his importance in her life and I think that's pretty significant. Relationships are all about compromise, right?

Speaking of which, I hope nobody thinks that Caroline's decision about college was too out of character. I mean, _yeah_, college is cool and all, _but Joseph Morgan's face_. Haha ok I'm kidding, of course Klaus is uber awesome and lovely and sweet and all that too. _I'd_ abandon this planet for Klaus, never mind tertiary education is all I'm saying.

And, on that note, I want to do a bit of defending of my girl Caroline. Up until these past two chapters, when Caroline realised the difference between how she physically felt about Klaus compared to Tyler, she truly believed that she was still in love with Tyler. When she wanted to break up with him, she wanted to break up with him because she acknowledged the problems in their relationship and how much it was hurting her. She chose to stay because she didn't want to break Tyler. Personally, I think that's a really strong and honourable thing to do. The unfortunate consequence was of course hurting Klaus, but in the long run, she was not going to jump out of a relationship with Tyler and into one with Klaus right then anyhow. That was not where her head was at. And the only thing she did afterwards that could be seen as slightly heartless was basically asking Klaus to be ok with being 100% properly friendzoned. Thing is, that was just really an official request verbalising what had already been happening for the whole story.

I hope this chapter went a long way in exhibiting how confused and conflicted Caroline is. Because even if she breaks up with Tyler – what then? Can she just be with Klaus, the Big Bad whom her friends all hate? Is he going to be a stable sane person she can spend the rest of her life with? Is she even ready to commit the rest of eternity to someone? Those questions are freaking scary and in a way, Tyler protects her from having to face them.

Also, Caroline isn't solely at fault. Klaus made the choice to return to MF, knowing that Caroline was still with Tyler. He knew exactly the position he was inserting himself into. Refer to him and Elijah's conversation in Chapter 2. The thing is that there is something that happens when they are together that neither of them can control and thus personally I don't blame Caroline for what may seem like leading Klaus on. Her main concern at the beginning of this story was having a fun vacation and spending time with Tyler. That she got sucked into this thing with Klaus was a consequence she didn't intend for in any of her actions, I'm sure. Basically what I'm saying is: it takes two to tango. Klaus could have, at any time, gotten out but he chose not to because that is the area of their relationship where he cannot control himself. He can't leave her behind; it's his disease, in a way. Which is why he was fully prepared to let her go in the last chapter but then just… couldn't. He took the first opportunity out of that in this one.

That got a bit long, I'm sorry. [Oh, if only colleges accepted academic essays on Klaroline.] But also, that's just my opinion on things :)

Lyrics from _Terrified _by _Katharine McPhee _and _Zachary Levi_. Amazing song, seriously.

P.S. My 2nd favourite moment in this chapter is when Caroline sleepily asks whether they're home. The double meaning in that and Klaus' smirk as he realises it but she doesn't just makes me laugh.


	21. Chapter 21

YAY GUYS I'M SO HAPPY SERIOUSLY THANK EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU AMAZING 200 FOLLOWERS FOR STICKING WITH MY STORY AND TRUSTING ME WITH THESE CHARACTERS I LOVE YOU ALL

So many things go down in this chapter. If to you her killing Damon or Katherine didn't qualify as enough, then you'll be happy to know that Caroline _finally _goes well and truly 'dark' in this one. And I bet you could never guess why. Muahahaha. Enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 21: Scrapbooking **

_This feels like I've fallen in love_

_Fallen in love_

_Fallen_

_In love_

"Morning," Liz said, placing a quick kiss on the back of her daughter's head as she breezed into the kitchen.

She had brought along a strong gust of wind and about ten shopping bags.

"Hey," Caroline replied, frowning. "I thought you went to work."

Liz shook her head. "I went out and did some grocery shopping considering you just about emptied our house for that Christmas dinner."

Caroline bit her lip half-guiltily. "Whoops."

Liz shook her head amusedly, knowing her daughter wasn't one bit sorry. "And I decided to run some other errands while I was out."

Liz shrugged off her heavy coat. "Is it just me or is the weather kind of crazy these days?"

"No! It snowed on Christmas, which it almost never does, yesterday was insanely hot and today it looks like we may get a storm," Caroline agreed.

Liz nodded then shrugged. "Global warming, right?"

Caroline grinned in response before taking another sip of her hot coffee. "So when are you going in?"

"In a few minutes," Liz replied, pulling groceries out and sticking them in their proper places.

"Seriously, Mom, you are always way too busy."

Liz paused, turning to her daughter with a raised brow. "Isn't that a bit of the pot calling the kettle black?"

Caroline huffed. Her mother had a point. But still.

"I'm just worried about you. It seems like you never take any time to relax anymore."

Liz shrugged. "Keeping busy is nice. _You _know that."

Caroline hesitated then smiled, nodding. "Right."

"And speaking of keeping busy, one of the things I did this morning was to get all those pictures printed off the camera."

Caroline frowned at her mother in disbelief when, sure enough, Liz slapped an overflowing envelope onto the kitchen counter.

"I even got you some new albums."

Caroline scoffed. "Mom, I'm not that twelve year old girl who still scrapbooks," she stated snobbily.

Liz just smirked at her daughter. "Should I get the cardstock and crafts mat?"

"Please," Caroline answered immediately.

Liz laughed and her daughter scowled at her back. Ok so _maybe _she still liked scrapbooking, whatever.

She started sorting through the pictures as her mother disappeared in search of Caroline's scrapbooking supplies. Noting with annoyance herself wearing braces in one snapshot, Caroline frowned.

"Mom, when are these pictures even from?" Caroline called out.

"I haven't printed in a while, so… five years' worth?"

Caroline groaned and checked the wall clock. 10 am. It was definitely going to take her longer than two hours to even make a dent in the stack of photos her mother had given her. Besides, the weather outside looked cold, grey and generally unpleasant and if she was honest with herself she wasn't really in too much of a hurry to see Klaus again after last night.

The way they'd left things had been less than ideal and despite her texting him to let her know that she'd gotten home safely last night, she still felt like he was a bit mad at her.

Making sure her mother was still nowhere in sight, she pulled out her phone to text Klaus that she wanted to skip their lesson. After her near-murder (queue eye-roll because it so hadn't come anywhere _close _to that), he might actually prefer her staying safely indoors.

His reply was quick, and though curt, accepting.

She found herself slightly disappointed with the fact that he couldn't manage to drum up even a smiley face or maybe even something to show that he just the slightest bit put out that he wouldn't be seeing her today, but she shook away the feeling.

Instead she began sorting the massive stack of photos, putting them in their respective piles organised by her own complicated personal system of date, colour and mood.

It was a welcome distraction.

* * *

_"Ok you two, pose for the camera!"_

Caroline stared at the products of that moment on Christmas when her technologically-challenged mother had, unbeknownst to her, taken two snapshots of the two cooks.

Caroline studied every inch of both pictures and she honestly wasn't sure which she liked better.

All she knew was that they both confused her.

They'd been taken within a few milliseconds of each other – probably as a result of her mother gripping the button for too long. Caroline and Klaus stood there together, their arms pulling the other in close. Her in her red mini dress with its plunging sweetheart neckline overlaid onto him in his $400 deep purple shirt.

And it wasn't that their outfits matched perfectly or how amazing they looked together that got to her.

It was the way they looked at _each other_.

He was looking down at her with that pure dimpled adoration and admiration he always did and that she normally did such a good job of ignoring. Expect in the picture she wasn't. That Caroline smiled back up at him, pleased with his intentions and content with where she was in that very moment: his arms.

Her eyes shifted to the next photo.

The Caroline in the picture was now smiling amiably at the camera, posing and pretending, much as she'd been doing for most her life. The lips were fake and generic but the real Caroline staring down at her tiny representation recognised the pure bliss behind her eyes.

And Klaus… his eyes never made it to the lense. They were halfway there, and you could tell he'd been trying, but he just couldn't pull his eyes from her.

It drew Caroline's breath away.

And then she looked back at herself, in the first frame. She was radiant beneath the Original hybrid's worshipping gaze. But that wasn't what had re-captured her attention.

There was something else beneath her own lashes, something besides utter bliss and it was so obvious she prayed her mother hadn't seen this picture.

_Bonnie… the way he feels about me is so incredibly intense and I'm not sure I can reciprocate that._

And, damn him, Damon's words came back to her once again: _I have a feeling that you're lying to yourself._

Caroline stared back at her blonde doppelganger, a week and a half younger but whose eyes already knew something the present Caroline had been denying for so long: she was in love him.

_I like you the way you are right now, Klaus._

_Thank you for being here._

_I love that you're here and you came back for me._

_I'm kind of… possessive about you, I guess._

_I'm glad you came._

_I need you._

How hadn't she seen it before?

* * *

Klaus paused halfway up Caroline's walkway. He waited for a second then took a relieved breath when his three vampires came out of the foliage to nod their acknowledgement of their master.

He didn't return the gesture, or any at all, but marched up the porch, stilling behind the front door. He took a breath and tuned his hearing to each room inside the house before him.

He heard Caroline's ragged breathing and for a moment he worried before he realised it was upset and not laboured. It seemed to be emanating from the kitchen.

He knocked, a frown already set on his features as he pondered what could have upset the blonde beauty.

"Klaus," she said in surprise when the door opened.

He was about to ask her if she was alright, if Lockwood had once again upset her, but the words died on his lips at the look she was giving him.

He didn't consider himself any kind of expert on Caroline's facial expressions, but none had as aptly thrown him for a loop as this one did. It was mystical and confused and… adoring?

"What are you doing here?" she asked, and it was gone.

She wiped her face, back behind that guard she reserved for his brand of evil.

"I-I…"

He trailed off, suddenly at a loss for words and most definitely for an answer to her question.

Her eyes softened as he struggled. "You're all wet. Come in," she said, pulling the door open wider.

He hadn't even noticed the raindrops falling from the sky, save for the impact it had had on his windscreen on his way over here, but he nodded now before making his way inside.

He took the time to collect himself.

"My siblings and I have decided on a plan of action."

"Oh," Caroline replied, her face unreadable. "What is it?"

"You know of the Centenary Gala?"

"The night after tomorrow? Yeah, sure."

"Had you planned on attending?"

She pulled a face. "No, it's for old people."

He smirked. "Well I have unfortunate news then."

In response to her frown, he continued: "We plan to lure out whoever this attacker is to the gala…" he hesitated; he didn't like the next part of the plan, "with you as bait."

Caroline's eyebrows shot skyward. "Oh."

"Of course, you don't have to do it if you don't want to."

"No, it's just – I just wasn't expecting that. It's fine."

He didn't think she seemed very fine at all, but he nodded. "Do you have something to wear?"

She frowned, thinking. "That event is crazy formal so I'm not sure."

Seeming to reach the limits of her mental catalogue of her closet, she made her way to her bedroom, Klaus trailing behind.

She sighed when she exited the depths of her stored clothing.

"No."

He smiled at her adorable annoyed expression.

"I'll have to go get something," she lamented.

He took a seat on her bed. "Would you like to go now?"

Her frown deepened. "No, that's ok. I'll do it tomorrow."

"That's a bit last-minute, what if you don't find something suitable?"

"Well then I'm sure you can help me out," she joked.

"Ah yes, my 'creepy trophy case of family collectibles'," he recalled her words verbatim.

She laughed, blushing at her own insult and it wasn't long before he joined and they were sharing a silent smiling moment together again.

She quickly cleared her throat, shaking her head.

"If you want to take me, I guess we could go now," Caroline relented.

Klaus grinned, delighted by this turn of events. He nodded to show his acceptance and she sighed in mock-annoyance as if she'd known that would be his response.

"Ok well I just have to change."

Klaus looked at her outfit in confusion. The short shorts and spaghetti strapped top certainly weren't suited to the weather outside but as a vampire it should hardly matter.

"What's wrong with what you're already wearing?" he asked.

She rolled her eyes. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to get these shorts off?"

There was a pause as she considered her words, before blushing deeply. "And by that I mean getting it off and on the whole time to fit things on. Really annoying," she explained hastily, before grabbing a dress and cardigan. "I'll be right back."

Klaus smirked as she made her way to the bathroom. Her accidental innuendos really were far too entertaining.

As he sat waiting for her to return so they could make their way to Mystic Fall's sad excuse for a mall, he looked around her room curiously. He still had no idea what she had seemed so upset about just minutes ago.

He stood, instinctively taking a step toward her dressing table.

He couldn't stop the smile that sprang to his face when the wooden etchings of the box he had given Caroline caught his eye. He remembered her protest at taking his car last night, presumably at what people might think.

But she had left his gift right there on her dresser, in full view of anyone who might enter her room. He wondered what it meant – his constant task of attempting to figure out Caroline Forbes. Did she simply like it that much or did she hold it in too much esteem to hide it?

With a thoughtful smile he was about to turn away when he noticed that the panel that slid open stood slightly ajar. He frowned as he slid it open further with his thumb.

He didn't want to disrespect her privacy but the curiosity got the better of him when he saw some sort of glossy paper pushed inside with the rest of the gifts he'd placed within for her.

He pulled them out and stared.

They were pictures of him and Caroline on Christmas day.

He didn't have time to do more than register this before he realised that Caroline was busy leaving the bathroom. He stuck the pictures back in the box, shutting it firmly before turning to face her entering form.

He smiled. As usual she looked beautiful, yes, but it wasn't just that. It was the thought that something as beautiful as her could ever value something he had given her, or more, the broken man that he was.

* * *

"So who exactly came up with this plan?" Caroline asked when they were in the car and on the way to the mall.

"Mostly my siblings. I don't agree with using you as bait, even if we will be there to protect you."

"And I can protect myself," she reminded him firmly.

"Which was what eventually convinced me to agree," he assured her. "I haven't forgotten, sweetheart."

She smiled, happy with the fact that he was trusting her, even if it was only with her own safety.

Then again, she had the feeling that might be the thing he valued most, above any of his jewels or wealth or weapons.

That thought only brought up her realisation from earlier again so she huffed, turning to look out the window.

Her small noise caused his forehead to crease. She certainly was being mysterious today. Even more so than usual. And he didn't smell the lesser hybrid on her either, so there was no clue as to her mood.

"Any particular colour in mind?" he tried for a response.

Caroline considered for a moment then shrugged. "Anything that's pretty, formal enough and doesn't cost an arm and a leg should do."

"Caroline Forbes only wanting a dress that will _suffice_?" he asked with a raised brow. "What has the world come to?" he mocked.

She glared at him for a second, but without being able to wipe a smile from her face.

"Whatever."

They pulled up outside the tiny mall.

"Any particular _store_ in mind, then?" he asked as they climbed out of the car.

"One or two," she replied vaguely.

Klaus rolled his eyes. "This isn't one of those 'A girl has to have her secrets' things that Rebekah blathers on about, is it? Because I hardly see the need for secrecy when I'll be accompanying you to the stores anyhow," he reminded her.

She pouted. "Seriously? That is so not necessary!"

"I can't very well protect you all the way from the food court, now can I?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Nice excuse but I'm sure you just want to know what dress I'm picking before anyone else does."

He laughed at her accusation but when she was still staring levelly at him, he sighed.

"If you don't want me, I can have my vampires here in five minutes."

"_Vampires_? Plural?"

"Well last night it became very clear that one wasn't doing the job."

Caroline regarded him for a few more seconds before throwing up her hands, relenting. "Fine! Let's go shopping!"

He couldn't help grinning at that.

* * *

"I can't believe I still haven't found anything!" Caroline complained after they'd made their way around the mall, going into every shop that even had a tiny possibility of stocking the kind of dress she needed.

"If that's the case then why am I carrying shopping bags from four different stores?" Klaus asked sardonically.

She scowled at him. "Those are backup outfits!"

"Naturally," Klaus said, but he seemed reasonably content.

Caroline, on the other hand, was frustrated enough to tear out her own hair. It was like all the old ladies in town had rushed out and emptied every single shop of all the good dresses for this stupid gala thing.

"Maybe we should just have lunch, I'm starving," Caroline pouted, dropping down onto a bench.

Klaus smirked at her, before handing her brand new purchases over to some guy she'd never seen before in her life.

"Don't forget to lock it, mate," Klaus said as he handed over his car keys.

Caroline went from hell confused to complete disbelief. "Seriously? You have your vampires doing car runs?"

He shrugged as if he saw no problem with it. "It's not like they're otherwise preoccupied, seeing as I'm currently doing their job," Klaus pointed out. "Besides, I can't leave you here alone."

Caroline rolled her eyes and would have once again reminded him that she could take care of herself, but she was beginning to feel like a broken record player.

Suddenly Klaus frowned, looking behind her. "We never went into that store."

Caroline turned to look at the shop he was pointing at then pulled a face.

"That's because it's way too expensive for me even to think about going into. _Window-shopping _there makes my credit card cry."

Klaus opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off.

"And before you even _suggest _it, no you are not buying me anything."

He looked both flabbergasted and amused by her as he shook his head. "Very well, then just compel yourself something."

She stared up at him in shock, her mouth agape. "I can't do that!"

"Yes, you very much can," he countered.

"I _mean _that it's not moral," she emphasised.

Klaus was staring at her like he honestly didn't see the point she was trying to make.

"My mother's the town Sheriff!"

"Which makes it very handy that no one will ever have to know," he smiled slyly.

When she still looked unsure, he held out his palms. "What would you rather have us do – drive out to the next town?"

After spending the last two days in a car for an extended period of time, the very thought of driving that far made her curl up her nose and Klaus knew he'd won her over.

"_Fine_. But only if I find something I really like," she gave in.

* * *

"I _really like _this," Klaus heard Caroline say from the fitting room.

He smirked. She had said precisely the same thing for about five other dresses now.

If she'd let him buy her anything then he would simply have gotten them all for her, but she was ridiculously limiting herself to one dress though she wouldn't even be paying for it.

"Me too," he called back, just to taunt her.

She made an annoyed noise. "You can't even see it!"

"That's true, but I've come to the conclusion in the past that these things go much quicker when there's some encouragement involved."

"Ugh, I thought you were patient."

Not really, no. Only for her.

"Not when I don't even get to see the options," Klaus replied.

"You wanted to come," she reminded him.

He sighed. She had him there. And the worst part was that it was still all worth it.

"Ok. I want this one," she decided.

"There is a higher power after all."

He could practically feel Caroline glaring at him through the fitting room walls.

"Can you send the attendant over?" she growled.

Klaus searched the store. Caroline must have thought it too tactless to call out for the woman who'd showed her into the fitting room. Most of Caroline and Klaus' conversation had taken place at a volume much as though they'd been sitting right next to each other.

When he caught the woman's eyes, he smiled and motioned to Caroline's fitting room. The woman nodded in understanding and made her way over to Caroline as Klaus checked his wristwatch. They'd been at the mall for five hours now.

Klaus saw the brunette walk up to the cash register, dress bag in hand, closely followed by the blonde he'd come here with. He jumped up, making his way behind her.

"You're a jerk," she informed him.

He smirked. "Would you like me to do it?" he asked as they approached the counter.

"No, that would be just like you buying it."

Klaus shook his head. She truly had the most ridiculous way of looking at things sometimes. Still, he stood off to the side as she compelled the woman to forget that she hadn't paid for her dress.

The attendant was busy explaining care practices when Klaus cocked his head, his sensitive hearing picking up a familiar voice.

He would have paid no further attention, but then his eyebrow jumped up when he heard another voice near it, not as well-known but definitely one he recognised.

He walked out of the store, trying to follow the voices as Caroline scampered out behind him in surprise.

"Klaus, where are you going?" she called out in confusion.

She almost walked right into his back when he suddenly stopped inside a lingerie shop not too far away from the boutique and there, right in front of her eyes, was Tyler… with Hayley.

For a second she had no idea how to react.

Her breath left her body as if she'd been rammed in the chest.

Klaus stood silently in front of her and she didn't know if it was a master thing or just a hybrid smell thing, but Tyler suddenly looked up and saw the two of them standing there and she no longer had that sorely needed moment to compose herself.

So she strode forward, dress bag in hand.

"Tyler, what a surprise," she bit out. "Hayley, always a pleasure," she said sarcastically.

"Care," Tyler begun, but he seemed to have nothing more because he stood there staring blankly at the blonde before him.

Noticing her companion's struggle, the wolf decided to speak up.

"You're the… girlfriend, right?" Hayley asked, squinting.

Caroline ground her teeth together. Seriously? She knew she'd hated the other woman the moment she'd met her.

"Yeah, but you don't have to remember that if it's too difficult for you. You can just think of me as the person whose _neck you snapped_," she reminded the wolf. "Or you know what, don't think of anything, because I _really _don't need to hear your voice right now."

Hayley opened her mouth to retort but it seemed Tyler had finally found his voice.

"Care, I can explain."

"About why you're with the girl who killed me and led twelve hybrids to the slaughter or why you're currently in a lingerie shop with her?"

He opened his mouth but shut it again wordlessly.

Hayley scoffed. "Ty you don't have to take that."

Caroline turned to glare at the other woman. "Excuse me, did you not just hear what I said, you know, the whole 'no speaking' part?"

Hayley glowered right back. "I don't take orders from _you_."

Suddenly Klaus was at Caroline's side, his solid strength practically emitting a protective heat.

"Should I kill her?" he asked as simply as wondering whether Caroline wanted a coffee.

The look of fear that struck into Hayley's eyes made Caroline smirk. The only threat Hayley posed to her was having werewolf venom, but it was rendered moot by the man right in front of her holding the cure. Never mind the fact that it wouldn't matter anyway, because he would never let her anywhere near Caroline. Her heart would be in the bra bin before she'd had time to cross it.

She watched as those same thoughts crossed through Hayley's mind and she felt heady with power.

"No," she told Klaus, giving Hayley a look that said _That's right, bitch, I have the power to do that_, "not yet."

Klaus nodded as she turned back to Tyler.

"So which is it, _Ty_?"

He breathed. "Could we talk about this in private?"

"I really don't see what you can't share in front of the girl you go _underwear_ shopping with and Klaus can pretty much hear anything from here to China, so why don't you just go ahead?" she snapped.

His jaw clenched dangerously and for a second she remembered the man Tyler was, away from being her loving boyfriend.

He was the guy who had almost beat Jeremy and Matt to a pulp when he'd been just a human.

She didn't feel an inch of fear.

"I'm helping Hayley out – "

"Ohhhh I see. Did she need your help with bottoms or tops?" Caroline asked, pretending to wait for an answer.

When he opened his mouth to defend himself, she cut him off.

"See, that was rhetorical. Because I really don't care. The fact that you're even around this little betraying, neck-snapping homewrecker when you haven't even taken a second to _call _me after the other day is all the answer I really need."

So maybe homewrecker bit was taking it a little far. They'd only been putting that show on for Klaus. Then again, the scene she was currently witnessing seemed to inform the contrary.

"I was out of town," Tyler muttered pathetically.

"No cell reception? My personal favourite excuse," she announced for anyone who wanted to know.

Tyler seemed to be grasping at straws. "_You _walked out on _me_, Care."

"And you moved on pretty quick," she said pointedly.

Tyler didn't even bother defending himself again, his gaze flicking to the hybrid beside his girlfriend.

"You're here with _Klaus_."

Of course he was turning this on her.

"Yeah, because my life is in danger. Maybe you'd know that if you bothered picking up a phone!"

Tyler's eyes widened in surprise. "What do you mean, your life's in danger?"

She smirked cruelly, stepping away.

"I'm out of time right now. Maybe I'll tell you the next time I see you in a lingerie store with another girl, since it seems that's the only time we ever talk now," she shot, before turning away.

"Care, please don't do this!"

"Don't forget to tell her hot pink isn't her colour!" Caroline called over her shoulder.

* * *

As soon as they stepped out of the mall, Caroline felt it was safe to let out her anger. Gritting her teeth, she forcefully punched her hand into a wall. The concrete dented and all her carpals were broken, but she felt slightly better.

"Caroline!" Klaus exclaimed in surprise and concern.

He approached but when she turned to look at him the red of her vampire eyes warned him not to come any closer.

"Don't touch me right now, just _don't_," she hissed through her fangs.

She pushed her fingers back into place, watching them heal before she repeated the process.

"He isn't worth this," Klaus muttered powerlessly, wincing.

"My _boyfriend _was shopping for lingerie with another woman. A woman whom I happen to _hate,_ by the way. And he didn't even _try _to deny that anything was going on!" she yelled, placing a punch in the wall with each emphasised word.

Klaus gritted his teeth as if he were undergoing the pain himself as he watched her single-handedly demolish the wall.

"You told me not to kill her," he pointed out in confusion.

"Because I didn't want to cause a scene!"

She looked at her right hand in annoyance when it was taking a little longer to heal. She shrugged, pulling back her left arm.

"STOP!" Klaus bellowed, suddenly appearing between her and the wall.

His fangs were out now too and his eyes were amber as they stared at her in furious desperation.

She wasn't sure if it was fear or not, but she felt something trickle down her spine as she dejectedly let her arms drop.

"I have to do _something_," she explained in hysteria. "And if it's not this then I'd have to sink my teeth into something," she said through gritted teeth, watching her own hands ball into fists at her sides.

She looked back up at Klaus and the fangs had disappeared behind the evil smile, but the golden eyes remained when he spoke.

"Well that can be arranged, love."

* * *

"She's coming," Klaus informed her.

He was behind her, closer than was probably necessary but that wasn't on her mind. Or not the biggest thing on her mind, anyway.

She was coming.

_She_ was a twenty-something redhead and she pushed her way into the bathroom cheerfully before stopping dead when she came across the sight in front of her.

It was a blonde couple, both of them impeccably dressed but there was something… off about them. Never mind the fact that there was a dude in the ladies' room.

"What's your name?" the blonde chick suddenly asked her.

"Tanya," she replied mostly for the sake of being polite. "Look, I can come back but this _is _the ladies' room," she said pointedly.

The attractive guy smirked. "My apologies."

He was British.

There was something really creepy about this couple. For one thing, they'd just been standing there when she walked in, almost like they'd been waiting for her. And secondly, they were looking at her almost… hungrily.

Suddenly the chick rushed up to her, getting a firm grasp on her arm. She tried to shake it off, but her efforts didn't help in the slightest.

"You're not going to scream," Caroline ordered, her pupils dilating as Tanya's did. "This isn't going to hurt. And when we're done, you're going to drink my blood and leave, forgetting any of this ever happened."

"Ok," Tanya agreed, in a trance.

Caroline felt a little dizzy with power. She hadn't done this in a long time. Her mouth started to water at the thought of fresh blood, of pulling it straight from the vein as it seeped down her throat and pumped its way into her undead heart, warming her own blood as the two mingled.

She hesitated for a second, not quite sure where to grasp the woman. She hadn't done this since she was turned. She decided to latch one arm around the woman's waist while pulling her neck open with the other.

Klaus watched, leaning against the bathroom counter. He found Caroline's compulsions unnecessary but he was still impressed by their comprehensiveness. And if that was the way she wanted to do things then he wasn't going to stop her.

The smell of fresh blood hitting the air was his first indication that Caroline had made the incisions that would allow her to suck the life source from her prey.

The familiar scent of a meal filled the air, serving as a painful reminder to Klaus that he hadn't had any blood today yet. He could have shared this girl with Caroline, but he preferred to let her have her moment. As he understood it, this was her first time feeding from a human since her earliest vampire days.

It was almost unimaginable to him, but he could just barely conceive the kind of pleasure Caroline had to be experiencing right now after having reigned herself in for so long.

Caroline eventually leaned back, breathing heavily, with her fangs dripping blood. He wasn't surprised by how erotic he found the sight to be.

Caroline then quickly stuck her fangs into her own wrist to offer it to the already-waiting Tanya.

She licked her bottom lip and suddenly she was just an exquisitely beautiful blonde who easily passed as a human again.

That was until she grinned at him: "More."

* * *

Caroline stared at the brand new dress that she'd compelled for herself.

She didn't feel the slightest bit guilty. Mostly because it was too pretty to do anything of the sort, but also because she'd done way worse things today, hadn't she?

She thought about her fangs dipping into the soft skin of that first girl's neck. And then there'd been the guy: Josh, if she remembered correctly. And then the other girl whose name she hadn't bothered taking, the one she'd shared with Klaus.

It was the first time she'd 'split' a human with another vampire, and she felt strangely relieved that it was an experience she'd shared with Klaus first.

It had been about as competitive as she'd imagined, but what she hadn't bargained for was the way his amber irises had focused on her the whole time. Making sure she was ok, trying to tell her something or just desiring her; she wasn't sure which. But he'd kept his eyes on her the whole way through. Even when her eyes had drifted closed, she would open them to find him staring at her.

With those beautiful eyes of his. His werewolf side, the part he'd worked so hard to get back, displayed perfectly alongside his vampirism as he sucked away a poor woman's blood.

The Original Hybrid.

They hadn't spoken much, after. And no she suddenly found herself, for no real reason, itching to see him and talk to him.

She was in the car as fast as her vampire speed would allow, pushing her Ford to its limits to get to him as fast as possible.

She should feel guilty, she knew.

She'd used those people for their blood. She was supposed to sustain on blood bags, be a goody-two-shoes like Elena, make her friends and family proud of her.

But those people she'd drunk from hadn't even felt any pain, she'd made sure of that. And as for the blood, she was a vampire wasn't she?

_In about sixty years you're gonna realise that all those people you were pretending for, are dead. Then new ones will take their place and you'll start the charade all over again. You'll be stuck in a rut pretending to be something less than the perfect specimen of a predator that you are… for no reason._

She smiled at Damon's words before digging her foot further into the pedal.

* * *

"Klaus?" she called out a bit nervously, the eerie quiet of his mansion freaking her out.

There was a whoosh before an Original she most definitely did not want to see appeared before her.

"Caroline," Rebekah greeted. "Didn't you get enough of him today?"

Caroline frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"Well my brother came home looking like a cat who'd got the cream so I just assumed…"

Caroline scoffed and rolled her eyes at Rebekah's crude line of thinking.

"Where is he?"

"Well if I'm right then probably long gone, since that's all he wanted you for, wasn't it?"

Rebekah was fast, but not fast enough to dodge the jab Caroline landed squarely on her nose.

"Bloody hell you're easily riled!" Rebekah complained as blood spouted from her face.

Caroline only smirked, watching Rebekah closely for any signs of retaliation.

"You know you have quite the nerve," Rebekah started, practically growling.

"Oh, do I?"

"Coming into my house and hitting me? Yeah, I'd say so!"

"This is Klaus' house," Caroline pointed out.

"And that somehow entitles you to… what?"

Caroline folded her arms. "Well an answer, for starters."

Rebekah laughed a little, turning away. "You know, as I've told you once before, I honestly don't see your allure," Rebekah pondered.

"Well maybe you should ask Matt what it is," Caroline shot back.

Rebekah paused for a second, clearly affected, then continued walking. "Is it supposed to make _me _feel bad that you've dated every boy in town?"

Caroline glared at the other blonde's back then rubbed a tired hand over her face. She didn't come here for this.

"Rebekah, do you know where Klaus is or not?"

Suddenly Rebekah was in her face again, sneering. "You know why my brother's obsession with you bothers me so much?"

Caroline pulled a face. "No and I'm not sure I want to."

Rebekah scowled at the girl before her. "Because once again, he's putting something else before his family. We're supposed to be protected, not the ones protecting some silly little town girl!" Rebekah screeched.

Caroline backed up, looking at Rebekah like she was an insane woman. And she probably was too.

"Are you crazy? First of all, there's the three of you unkillable Original vampires against some guy with a hypodermic needle full of venom which you're, oh right, _not killable by_. _You don't need protecting. _And second of all, how many times have _you _put things before this family?" she asked, thinking of how Rebekah had lured Klaus back to Mystic Falls so Mikael could kill him at homecoming.

Before she knew it, Caroline had been flung across the foyer and straight into the ballroom. She coughed, getting to her feet, still a little shaky from the shock.

"Thought you had the monopoly on surprise attacks, did you?" Rebekah asked snarkily as she slowly walked towards Caroline.

"No, I just didn't realise this was going to turn into a brawl just because I wanted to know where Klaus was," Caroline shot back. "Next time I'll ask Elijah. Where is he, anyway?" She gave Rebekah a sad look, faking a gasp. "Are you here waiting for the guys to get back? That's typical Rebekah isn't it, waiting for someone to come back and love her."

Rebekah smirked meanly, speeding up to Caroline, only for her hand to grab at air.

"You know what, I think this has _nothing_ to do with your family's protection. You're annoyed with me because Klaus finally has the chance to be happy and you can't stand it," Caroline said from across the room.

Rebekah rushed over but she was once again met with an empty spot, right before something was stuck through her stomach from behind.

"Did you forget that I did a lesson with you?" Caroline snarled. "I know your moves, Rebekah."

Rebekah groaned, pulling the poker out from below her ribcage.

"No, but _you_ forgot one thing," Rebekah managed to utter as she pulled the hilt through her flesh.

"And what's that?" Caroline asked, faking curiosity.

Caroline was prepared for Rebekah's move, bending backwards as the Original grabbed for her. She used her momentum to kick upwards, getting Rebekah in the chin and performing an impromptu cartwheel.

But Rebekah was too fast for her. She caught her by the hair and flung her against a wall, speeding up behind her to press her lips near Caroline's ear.

"I wasn't allowed to hurt you then," she finished, a small cruel smile playing at her lips right before she stuck the poker through Caroline and into the wall, pinning her there.

Stars appeared across Caroline's vision but she was just present enough to hear a familiar cracking. It was a sound she had to be able to pick out from a range of others: it was the one that would precede someone putting an end to this second life of hers.

Rebekah rushed over with her improvised stake and was about to jam it right into Caroline's chest cavity when someone pulled her from behind, disabling her arms.

"Rebekah, what are you doing?" Elijah yelled, holding on fast as his sister struggled.

"Get off – " Rebekah started, before catching sight of the next person entering the ballroom.

"What is the – "

Klaus' eyes darted from Rebekah's wood-laden hand to Caroline's limp body attached to the wall by means of a fire poker.

He sped up to Caroline, nimbly removing the poker from her back and catching her body in his arms. He turned to Elijah with a mutinous expression, his lips pulled back in a snarl.

"If you don't get her out of here right now, I _will_ kill her."

Rebekah's eyes widened, but knowing his brother's sincerity when he saw it, Elijah sped away.

Caroline's eyes fluttered open, having missed the whole exchange, and she almost wanted to laugh because there he was. She couldn't believe she'd almost died finding out where he was and now here he was, holding her.

Holding her.

She pulled herself out of his arms, straightening her dress as she noted in annoyance that there was now a giant blood stain on it. Great, her mother was definitely going to be pleased about that.

"Caroline, are you alright?"

His eyes were filled with worry and she swore he'd gone pale as a sheet.

She rubbed a quick hand over her face before smoothing down her hair. "Yeah, fine."

"What happened?" he asked in confusion.

She blinked some more, trying to put the order of events into an explainable order.

"I came here and you weren't home but Rebekah was so I asked her where you were and she wouldn't give me an answer, just kept being a general bitch and then… we kind of got into it."

Klaus' jaw twitched as she recounted her story. It was taking every nerve in his body not to go outside, transform into his less human-looking self and sniff out the path his brother had taken, to find Rebekah and rip out her…

"Klaus," Caroline said, pulling him away from his thoughts. "I'm ok."

"She was about to kill you," Klaus said, thinking her unaware.

"I know. I heard her break that chair."

She wasn't prepared for it when he roughly pulled her into him, holding her as tightly as his strength would allow.

Both his arms were curled right around her rib cage as his head ducked all the way into her hair, breathing heavily.

It hurt, a little, but she couldn't bring herself to shift even slightly when he was holding onto her like a drowning man to a lifeboat. With their bodies flush she could feel the speeding of his heart; the gentle trembling of his chest.

It was the second most intimate thing she'd ever experienced with anyone.

Suddenly a thought occurred to her.

"Where were you?"

He shook his head against her shoulder as if it bore no importance. It didn't.

"Not here." He gritted his teeth. "I'm sorry, Caroline."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "You don't have to be apologise for not being home, Klaus."

But that wasn't what he'd meant.

"I meant for my sister's actions."

And she knew that tone.

She cleared her throat, pulling back her body a little so it was obvious that she wanted to end the hug.

He pulled away and looked at her curiously.

"Can I talk to you?" she asked, not waiting for a reply before speeding upstairs.

He frowned then followed her into his bedroom. "What would you like to talk about?"

"That was your 'She's going to regret it' tone!" she yelled.

He smirked at how she had named one of his tones but didn't deny anything.

"Klaus, Matt is my _friend_."

His jaw clenched shut. "Then perhaps he shouldn't have jumped into bed with the woman who almost killed you tonight."

She intended to spit it into his face, but instead she sat down on his massive bed enshrouded in its equally large duvet. And it came out in a whisper.

"I won't forgive you if you kill him."

It wasn't an ultimatum; she just knew it to be true and hoped that he would understand that.

His hands curled into fists as he turned away from her, upset with himself, with Caroline, with Rebekah. He wanted to throw something or hurt somebody.

And right then his brother came walking into his bedroom.

"I sincerely hope you've brought her back with you," Klaus said, a bloodthirsty smile beginning on his face.

"What will you gain from killing your only sister, Niklaus?" Elijah asked, ignoring Klaus's words as he gripped his arm.

The venom in Klaus' eyes as he looked at his brother couldn't be more obvious. Venom he would soon be putting into his brother's neck if he didn't let him go.

"I wouldn't touch me right now if I were you," Klaus growled.

Elijah held firmly. "Losing your only sister for all of eternity, Niklaus," Elijah repeated, emphasising each word. "When you haven't lost anything here tonight."

Klaus' head turned back toward Caroline who still sat motionless on his bed, watching their argument with unreadable eyes.

"Then perhaps she deserves a few hundred years to ponder her sins," Klaus snarled, grabbing his arm away and speeding off.

Elijah moved to protect the door but Klaus didn't leave the room, returning to his spot with a dagger dipped in White Oak ash.

"I want to apologise!" Rebekah suddenly screamed, appearing at the threshold of her brother's room.

Both brothers were surprised by her move and they stared at her, paralysed by curiosity.

It was either very stupid or very smart of her to have come up here, she knew. But she had to take that chance. She had too much to lose. If Klaus stuck that dagger in her heart, she'd never get to be with Matt. She would wake up in two hundred and fifty years, once again having missed an opportunity at happiness.

She moved toward her brothers, trying to get to Caroline but Klaus spoke up.

"Go near and her and you die," Klaus warned.

Her foot froze in its spot. She knew her brother; his hand was probably already half-raised, ready to stab her in the back. He wouldn't even have to reach very far.

"Caroline," Rebekah began, fear evident in her accent, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything I said and the way I treated you and for…" she didn't want to say it for fear of angering Nik just with the words, but she had to, "for trying to kill you. _I'm so sorry_."

Caroline's eyes moved from Rebekah's, surveying the room. Elijah and Rebekah stood together with Klaus in front of them as he shielded Caroline.

She sighed. There was really only one way this could play out; her words were already chosen for her. If she didn't say them, Klaus would dagger Rebekah. And even if he didn't know it, he needed her. And though he tried to deny it, he wanted his baby sister around.

Caroline nodded. "I forgive you, Rebekah."

Klaus's eyebrows jumped skyward. "She would've killed you, Caroline. Seconds later and you'd have been dead. She's only saying this to protect herself!"

He took a deep resolute breath and Rebekah knew. She'd made the wrong choice, coming here. He was going to dagger her.

"She deserves this," Klaus snarled.

He was about to turn around when his name fell from Caroline's lips, echoing around the room.

"Klaus."

Elijah and Rebekah watched, awe-struck, as the curve of their brother's spine went from murderous to defeated.

They would never know what Caroline had said as Klaus' body shielded her silent mouthing of a single word. But they watched as his palm opened, the fatal dagger dropping heavily to the floor from it. They would never know, but Caroline and Klaus did.

_Mikaelson._

* * *

Whoa, heavy chapter (and long)! Guys, so much happened I'm not even sure what to begin addressing. I'll start at the end? Ok so, wow. I don't know what to say other than yes, at a few points Klaus would 100% have killed Rebekah. Though in his defence, he did tell Elijah to get her out of there initially. Also I would very much like a hug like that from Klaus, even if some of my ribs may get broken in the process, ha. If you have anything else you wanna talk about that happened here, review and we can chat!

Had anybody been wondering about when we were going to know what that picture Liz took looked like? If so, I hope this chapter had a good payoff in it for y'all :) Also, remember when I promised that the awkwardness at Christmas had its purpose? It was Caroline denying what her body/heart already knew. Anyhow, writing that whole realisation part in this chapter, and the Klaus POV part right after that, was pretty much one of the times I've enjoyed writing this story the most. Maybe I was just listening to some really good music. Let me know what you thought!

Caroline realised she's in love with Klaus! Pretty shocking realisation for her I think, even though we all knew it all along, right? Heh. After this chapter I don't think we'll see her deal with that head-on for a while (mainly because lots of plot-heavy chapters are coming), but she still has issues to deal with. 1. What about Tyler? Yeah she may not love him but the last time she tried to break up with him it ended up being a major fail. 2. Klaus is still a pretty evil dude she isn't sure she wants to spend the rest of her life with. 3. Does she love him _enough _to spend the rest of her life with him? So yip, Caroline's come to terms with her true feelings but that doesn't magically make everything better. In fact it complicates things!

CAROLINE ATE PEOPLE. Haha. Yip, that happened. Like I said right at the beginning, I want to get Caroline halfway to darkness so yes she drank from people but she also made it so that they felt no physical pain and they were completely Ok and healed up afterwards. That's just considerate if you ask me. This will be too dark for some and not dark enough for others, but I tried really hard to find a middle path for her character transformation. Also… there is slightly more darkness to come. Tell me what you think :)

Anyway, that was my very long rant, I apologise. I hope you liked the chapter (and it lived up to the hype), please let me know what you thought in the really shiny white box below :)

Lyrics are from _Kiss Me _by Ed Sheeran.

P.S. IS TYLER CHEATING? [Fair warning, this story is not Hayley-friendly]

P.P.S I wanted to clarify that there are about 9 chapters left of _this part_. There may be a Part 2 coming, I'm still undecided. The way I plan to end this Part definitely calls for a sequel but I won't have the time to write it until June/July, so I'm conflicted. But I totally do have an idea in the works/an entire plan for the sequel :)


	22. Chapter 22

WOW WOW WOW first off can I just say how TOTALLY OVERWHELMED I was by the responses I got on the last chapter?! I mean I asked for 20 reviews and you guys gave me over 3 times that! Like wow, seriously. Thank you guys so so so much, I love you TONS.

Are any of y'all Klefaroline lovers? ;)

* * *

**Chapter 22: You darkest desires**

_It's a chance, boy, everything I ask of you_

_Sweet love of mine _

_destruction ain't a crime_

_For those who find love as a game like you and I_

"Hello, Caroline," Klaus answered and Caroline couldn't help smiling.

"Hey."

"I get the feeling this isn't a social call," he noted.

Caroline bit her lip for a second.

She already had her excuse prepared: she was in no rush to return to the scene where she'd come very close to being murdered last night.

It wasn't true, but it sounded convincing enough, she figured.

She just wasn't ready to face him yet. She'd gotten over the bloodlust and resulting mixed feelings from last night and now she really wasn't sure what was going on in her own head anymore.

She thought of the picture.

"I wanted to check if it was ok if I didn't come over today."

There was a pause as she imagined him considering, knowing he would try and convince her otherwise.

"That's fine," he agreed, and Caroline frowned.

"Ok," she replied, surprised. "Uh, good."

"Was there something else?" Klaus asked, hearing her hesitation.

"Not really. Any developments?"

Klaus sighed. "Yesterday it occurred to me that if Hayley was here then there was another werewolf in town we hadn't been aware of."

Caroline sat down on her bed, shocked. That thought hadn't even crossed her mind after seeing the neck-snapping werewolf.

"Something else your spies missed," Caroline teased, unable to help herself.

"For which they will be suitably punished," Klaus wasted no time in promising.

"Naturally," she smiled, shaking her head.

"Anyhow, that was where Elijah and I were last night: questioning the wolf."

"Really? How many Originals does it take to question a werewolf?" she taunted.

He chuckled. "If you must know, I took Elijah along to keep me honest. After hearing that she snapped your neck I couldn't be sure I wouldn't do the same to her."

Caroline couldn't supress the small smile that that elicited. "Did she crack?"

"Well she was quite stubborn, which was imprudent considering she had two torturers who have had one thousand years of experience in the field."

Caroline rolled her eyes. He sounded so proud of that.

"You're all evil and stuff, I get it," she laughed. "Did it help?"

"It was fruitless. On the full moon someone attacked her and stole her venom but much like Carl, she didn't get a good look at him."

Caroline frowned. "Ok, how is that even possible? She must have seen him if he stuck a needle into her mouth!"

"It was quite the puzzle for me and Elijah as well. But it was the truth, we compelled her."

"How do you know she isn't on vervain?"

"I have my ways," Klaus responded secretively.

"So you didn't just skip the torture and compel her right off, because…?"

She could practically see the slow, cruel and admittedly sexy smirk appear on his face.

"That's not as fun, now is it?"

Caroline rolled her eyes but she still couldn't bring herself to feel sorry for the werewolf.

"So what now?"

"We're sticking with the original plan," he sighed.

Caroline smirked. "No pun intended?"

He laughed. "Depends on whether it made you smile or not, sweetheart."

She smiled, shaking her head in mock-annoyance.

"I should go."

"What does your day look like?"

Caroline played with a piece of her hair, sighing. "All this stuff with Tyler, I could use some time to think about it all."

Seemingly supressing a growl, Klaus responded. "You aren't actually considering forgiving him, are you?"

"To be fair, I'm not even sure there is something to be forgiven for. I'm just debating whether he deserves the chance to explain himself."

Klaus sighed, clearly in disapproval. "Then I'll leave you to it."

"I'm guessing you're still over there trying to come up with ways to get back at Rebekah?" she asked, half-jokingly.

He was silent for a second then laughed. "I've told you before, Caroline: you know me too well."

She smiled. It was as much of a compliment as it had been the first time, that day almost three weeks ago.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Klaus."

There was a beat as he pondered the meaning behind her words: she didn't want him coming over tonight.

"I'll see you then. Good luck with your thinking, Caroline."

"Thanks. You know I'd say the same, but I'd prefer it if you devoted your time to something more productive than plotting your revenge," she goaded.

He laughed fully. "Goodbye, Caroline."

She smiled at the phone as she tapped it to end the call. Placing her phone on the bedside table, she dropped her head down on her pillow, sighing.

This could be nice. She hadn't had some lazy lying-in time for pretty much her entire vacation.

* * *

Caroline sighed. She was so bored.

She'd baked three dozen cookies, eaten a good amount of them, had a nap, finished a book and done tons of thinking.

And still she didn't feel like she had any better of a grasp on either of the relationships that kept circling her mind. To be quite honest, she was sick of being inside of her own mind already. It was too confusing in there.

She felt like going out and doing something. It was Friday night, after all.

Mentally cataloguing all the friends she could call, she grabbed up her phone and began typing at lightning speed. After finishing the message, she flung her phone back onto her bed and began dressing.

She wouldn't be taking no for an answer.

Caroline was busy pulling on her skintight high-waisted skirt when her phone vibrated from her bed.

Huffing, she continued pulling on the white skirt until it fit perfectly over her powder pink shirt.

She hopped over, trying to pull on a heel as she made her way to the bed.

She groaned when she realised that convincing would have to be done after all.

**Stefan**

**Be here in 15 and I'll pretend you didn't just turn me down.**

She had pulled on her other shoe and some jewellery before her phone buzzed again. Checking it, she smirked when she saw that the Salvatore had apparently had a change of heart.

Good, now she had just enough time to add some extra curls to her hair.

* * *

Caroline heard Stefan pull up just as she was second-guessing the faux fringe she'd created by pulling the one side of her hair over and curling it into the rest.

Oh well, too late now.

She grabbed her purse and met Stefan as he was making her way up to the porch.

She was happy to see that he'd dressed up and applied some extra cologne for their excursion.

And by dressed up she meant that he'd forgone his usual hoodie or leather jacket and gone for a heavy black coat instead.

He held up his hands, gesturing at her. "You look great!"

She smiled, accepting the compliment before loping her arms around her friend's neck and giving him a tight hug. He was stiff at first but eventually relaxed into her body.

She had to admit, it felt nice to be around a man for whom she had a complete grasp on the feelings she had for him. It felt nice to be this close to a man who wasn't her boyfriend and not have a million confusing thoughts running through her mind as her body sent a thousand confusing signals.

And it was also just awesome seeing Stefan again; she hadn't realised how much she'd missed just hanging out with him until this very moment.

She pulled away to grin at him. "Ready to go?"

"You mean go get drunk with you?" He pretended to consider it. "_Yes._"

She grinned again before speeding over to his car and sliding in.

"This is awesome!" Caroline exclaimed, overwhelmed by the excitement running through her veins for no real reason other than because she was dressed up and heading out with one of her best friends.

Stefan smirked, as usual amused by Caroline's enthusiasm for the smallest of things. Still, in all honesty he felt happy too. The blonde had a relaxing effect on him, often managing to take his mind off things and make him laugh. Just like now.

"I'm glad we're doing this," he admitted.

"Really?" She scowled playfully at him from across the car. "Then why'd you blow me off?"

"I thought we were going to pretend that never happened."

She rolled her eyes, smiling, as she turned back to look out the window. "You're lucky you weren't late," she offered.

"Oh trust me, I know I am," he said mockingly, as if she would have imposed some sort of wrath on him had he not been.

Which she probably would have.

Nevertheless, she shoved him playfully as they pulled up to the Grill.

After they'd both climbed out, Stefan put a hand to her back, holding the Mystic Grill's door open for her.

She stepped inside and grinned.

So yeah she'd been coming here since she'd been old enough to eat solid foods, and then it had undergone a perception makeover as she'd gotten old enough to recognize a whole _different _kind of liquid, but she was still excited to be here. It beat hanging around her own house all alone, anyway.

Besides, she just had a feeling that this would be a good night. Even Stefan was in a good mood.

"I'll find a table, you get drinks," Caroline delegated.

Stefan, used to being bossed around by Caroline, nodded and headed off to the bar as she scanned the restaurant for the perfect table.

She quickly spotted one with a booth and headed towards it. After she'd slipped into it, she proceeded to scan the room again.

For activity, this time.

It was especially full, it being Friday night and the Grill being practically the only place of any real entertainment in the small town that Mystic Falls was. Still, the familiar hustle and bustle filled her with a sentimental sort of nostalgia. Moreover, she was glad that the place was full – hopefully nobody would notice her and Stefan's 'underage' drinking.

It was truly ridiculous, the amount of alcohol she'd already consumed – as a newbie vampire and a freshman at college – and yet she still couldn't legally get a drink. And would probably get a whole round of glares if any known townsfolk saw her drinking.

Never mind the fact that Stefan was far from actually being underage.

The vampire in question took his seat opposite her, sliding a cooler over.

"Told him to keep 'em coming."

"Him?" she asked, suddenly realising that she actually had no idea who had taken Matt's place here.

Stefan thought for a second. "I think his name is… Grass."

Caroline raised an eyebrow and they both burst out giggling.

"How come you can get alcohol here and I can't?" she exclaimed afterwards, pouting. "As far as everyone knows, we're the same age! We graduated together."

Stefan smirked at her. "Maybe it's because I'm not the Sheriff's daughter."

Caroline raised a brow, smiling. "I should hope you're not _anybody's _daughter," she giggled.

Stefan shook his head amusedly as she downed one of the shots he'd placed in the centre of the table.

Wincing at the strength of the alcohol, he looked back up to see Caroline with a huge grin spread across her face as she stared at him intently.

"So. How are you?"

"You know, Caroline, you don't have to check up on my sanity every time you see me."

She glared at him. "_You know, Stefan, _'How are you?' is a traditional way to begin a conversation."

He laughed at his own paranoia then shrugged. "I'm fine, I guess. How are you?"

She grinned happily back at him. "I'm great. Now that I'm here with you, mostly. Man, I was so bored," she finished, taking a sip from her cooler.

It was strawberry. Stefan had made a good choice.

"Yeah, things aren't exactly exciting back home either."

She sighed, feeling bad for him. Living in a house with your brother, your ex and her brother couldn't be the easiest thing to do.

Speaking of which…

"How are you and Damon now?"

He cleared his throat. "Still the same, mostly. As close as a few weeks ago."

"Right. Because of your 'bonding activities'," Caroline said, rolling her eyes.

She brought another shot to her lips, knowing she was going to need it for this.

Stefan smiled. "Don't say it like that. It was good. Healthy," he said, now practically laughing at himself.

Caroline shook her head doubtfully. "And what exactly did these _bonding activities_ consist of?"

"Lots of drinking," Stefan said, illustrating with his own shot.

"Of course."

"We read some of my diaries." He frowned, "Well, mostly _I_ did the reading. Damon listened and mocked me," Stefan recalled. Then he smiled sheepishly. "And we did some reminiscing."

He took another sip of his beer. "Did some finances. Apparently businesses actually take some maintenance," Stefan said in mock-revelation.

It was weird for Caroline to think that the Salvatores had businesses around the world. Or at least she assumed so. She wasn't sure, but she knew they were rich somehow, as was expected when you were 150 years old.

Which was just as weird to think about. In her mind Stefan was still kind of just her friend from high school. Who happened to drink blood and have supernatural strength.

Caroline raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "_Wow. _Bonding time with the Salvatores sounds like bucket loads of fun!" she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"Shut up," Stefan replied softly and she laughed.

"You know you'd actually be interested to know that we dug out some of our old artwork. Some of that stuff is really valuable. We have _Guardis_," Stefan intimated, clearly now eager to gain her approval of what they'd done, yet blissfully unaware that she had no idea who Guardi was. "Originals," he continued bragging.

Caroline raised an eyebrow again, ready for a full-bellied laugh at him, when she gasped as a man walked through the doors of the Grill.

"Speaking of Originals," Caroline said, subtly inclining her head in the right direction.

Stefan turned to see what she meant as she stared past his head at the thousand year-old vampire. He was dressed as simply as ever: dark jeans and a grey Henley with his multiple chains hung around his attractive neck. Still, her breath caught when their eyes met from across the restaurant.

How did she still feel so unprepared for the way he looked at her? And how did he manage to find her immediately like that?

Over a hundred other people in here and with the first turn of his head he still managed to catch her eye.

Followed by that smile that was reserved for her and her only.

She could tell that he was surprised to see her here but he still looked at her as if there was nothing else he'd rather be looking at.

It was similar to the smile he'd given her at his family's Ball as soon as he'd glimpsed her. Similar, because seeing her still took his breath away, but filled with more; inflected with everything they held between them now.

Unable to help herself, she smiled too.

They really had come a long way since that Ball.

She found herself wishing that she could go back and return all those smiles he'd reserved for her.

Finally his gaze moved from hers to take in the fact that she was here with Stefan.

He hesitated for the slightest second before making his way over.

Caroline tried to re-adjust her outfit as inconspicuously as possible while praying that her hair and makeup still looked good.

"Guess he's coming over here," Stefan stated unnecessarily, turning back around.

Caroline said nothing, knowing that the Original would be able to hear their every word as he closed in on them, despite the array of sounds in the restaurant.

"Well isn't this cosy," Klaus said, smiling a little stiffly as he arrived at their table, "Am I interrupting something?"

"Caroline and I are just friends, Klaus, you know that," Stefan replied, once again stating the obvious.

Caroline flipped her hair over her shoulder before playfully plucking up Stefan's hand.

"I don't know, Stefan, I think we'd make a pretty cute couple," Caroline said, winking.

"Well, every cute couple needs a third wheel," Klaus smiled genuinely now, playing along. "Mind if I join?"

In true Stefan fashion, he just shrugged indifferently before looking over at her. "Caroline?"

He was doing the gentlemanly thing, she knew, asking for her to give Klaus permission to join. It was also just polite considering that she'd been the one to arrange this outing.

But he was also placing the pressure on her and she so didn't want to have to deal with having to make that decision. She was still kind of reeling from her realisation that she was in love with the man combined with the fact that she had no idea how to handle it and…

_This was supposed to be a Klaus-free night, damnit. _

Reluctantly she looked up at Klaus, noting that he was smiling charmingly down at her with those adorable dimples.

She wished he wouldn't; it was too damn difficult to resist.

"Sure, why not?" she said evenly.

Klaus grinned happily and took the seat Stefan cleared as he shifted over. Stefan sat diagonally from Caroline now while Klaus sat directly opposite her. For a second Caroline felt like she was on some very weird dating game show.

She also soon became painfully aware of the fact that both men seemed to be waiting on her to begin a conversation.

"Sooo… what are you doing here?" she asked Klaus.

He lifted an eyebrow a little, obviously amused by her efforts.

"I was _driven_," he began, eyeing her pointedly, "into developing an idea, which in turn compelled me here in order to investigate the competition."

Stefan frowned. "The competition?"

Klaus nodded. "Yeah, see, I've decided to look into beginning an alternate source of entertainment in this godforsaken town. From an economic standpoint it's obviously a smart move, but more importantly I'd have more than one option when bored out of my mind. Which I foresee plenty of, being settled here semi-permanently and all."

"_Semi_-permanently?" Caroline questioned.

"We're vampires, sweetheart. We never live anywhere _permanently _permanently," he elaborated.

Caroline rolled her eyes at his pompous attitude but nodded in understanding.

"So what's the business idea?" Stefan asked interestedly, taking another sip of his beer.

"See, that's what I got stuck on. Thought I might find some inspiration coming here; find out which niches aren't being filled. But," he said, smiling with twinkling eyes, "perhaps the _former_ Miss Mystic Falls and the most fun guy I know can help me come up with something," he finished jovially.

"_Stefan_'s the most fun guy you know?" Caroline asked mockingly, ignoring his little jibe at her.

"Hey," Stefan protested half-heartedly.

"Well, he was in the '20s anyway. And considering you lot killed off my brother, Kol…" he said, letting them fill in the rest.

Though the hybrid's tone had been light, a cold hand gripped at Caroline's heart at the mention of Klaus' murdered brother. She remembered when she'd found out about what Elena and Jeremy had done; feeling so terrible for him but still having to pretend to hate him the next day.

It soothed her a bit now to know that neither she nor Stefan had had a hand in that particular murder though.

Stefan seemed to be suffering from the same lapse of guilt but he quickly hid it.

"Look, I'm fun," Stefan said, downing another shot.

Caroline shook her head at his lame attempt and her and Klaus laughed at him.

When the laughter died down Klaus surveyed the place pointedly.

"I was considering a brothel. More commonly known as a strip club nowadays, I believe."

Caroline's jaw dropped. "Ok, first of all, a brothel and a strip club are totally not the same thing. And second, you are _not _opening a strip club in Mystic Falls!"

"What about a brothel?" Klaus deadpanned.

Now it was Stefan's turn to laugh at the two of them.

Klaus turned away from their staring death match with a charmed smile on his face, looking down at the table.

"I believe we're running out of drinks," Klaus observed as he gestured towards the lack of shot glasses, never mind the fact that he hadn't even had a drink to begin with.

Stefan looked around for the waiter who had promised to keep their table plied with alcohol. His gaze stuck by the entrance of the restaurant. Caroline followed it to a raven-haired woman in a low-cut top and mini skirt with legs that went on forever.

She seemed to be as unfamiliar with the place as she was to Caroline.

"Do you know that woman?" Caroline asked Stefan.

He turned back around distractedly. "Yeah. She's sort of a friend from a very long time ago."

Caroline disregarded how familiar that sounded. At least here, unlike the situation with Mia, she had nothing to be jealous of.

"Stefan, you have _another _friend?" she asked in surprise.

Stefan looked hurt. "This is becoming insulting."

Caroline giggled as Stefan turned back around, Klaus doing the same to see who they were discussing.

"What's her name?" Caroline asked as they watched a waiter lead the woman to the bar.

"Arielle," Stefan replied. "I should go say hi," he said as the woman sat down.

Klaus moved out so Stefan could stand up.

Sitting down again, Klaus smiled craftily. "She's pretty. Do us a solid and put in a good word, mate?"

Stefan smirked. "Klaus, if I had to think of one good word to describe you, I'd have to wait another hundred years before going over there."

It was an insult but Klaus smiled charmingly as he watched Stefan leave, as if he'd just been paid a compliment.

"I thought we might never get rid of him," Klaus said, grinning.

Caroline almost missed his comment as she was busy studiously trying to distract herself from how Klaus' request made her feel.

She looked up now, taken off guard for a second by how intently he was staring at her.

She swallowed – his smile disarmed her.

"How was your day of soul-searching?" he asked interestedly, with an amused little tilt to his lips.

She considered.

She'd spent plenty of time thinking about how she had to make some kind of decision but she hadn't really gotten round to the decision-making bit. There were too many things to factor into it – did Tyler still need her? Did it even matter anymore? Was there a part of her still staying with Tyler because he prevented her from having to deal with her feelings about Klaus? Because she honestly had no idea how she would resist Klaus without the reminding guilt of Tyler in the back of her mind…

She'd think through all those things and by the end of it all just finding herself mindlessly daydreaming about Klaus as she waited for cookies to come out of the oven. A batch had almost burned as she stood fantasising about his amazing loving eyes and arresting smile.

_God, she had it bad._

Caroline brought herself back to the present, where Klaus was still staring at her intently as he waited for her answer.

Honestly she was a little surprised that he was paying her this much attention instead of eavesdropping on the conversation currently taking place between Stefan and Arielle at the bar.

She sighed then forced a laugh. "Well, clearly I got distracted," she said, gesturing around at the Grill.

Klaus smirked, his adorable dimples coming out, and nodded. "Yes, clearly."

Their eyes locked on each other for a few moments then his expression became serious once again. His hand reached out towards hers suddenly and he swiped a light thumb across her knuckles in concern.

God, did he know what that did to her?

Tingles followed the path of his finger, offshooting into shivers that branched to every part of her body.

"Are you alright, love?"

It was not perfunctory; it wasn't fleeting. It was a genuine question, like he knew exactly the dilemma she was facing.

It made her hesitate.

"I – I don't know," she admitted.

Worry knitted his features as he frowned uneasily.

When he opened his mouth she knew he was going to ask about what exactly was bothering her so she hastened to add: "Thirsty."

She plastered a smile on her face and for a second he looked confused by her mood change before retracting his hand and smiling too.

"Should I get you a refill?"

Her eyes flicked to the bar, where Stefan stood with his acquaintance. She felt annoyed; it had something to do with Klaus' question.

"You don't have to look for excuses to go over there, Klaus."

The words were out before she knew it and she wanted to slap herself.

_No-filter Forbes strikes again._

He frowned back at her. "I was going to hail a waiter, love."

She gritted her teeth and blushed at her lap, embarrassed and unable to meet his eyes.

"Surely by now you know that there's no place I'd rather be than by your side, Caroline," he said sincerely.

Caroline shifted uncomfortably, mentally cursing. Of course she totally overreacted and he still found the sweetest thing to say. Was there some point at which Klaus would start making her decision less difficult?

She placed her hands over her eyes, wincing in shame. "Sorry."

After a few seconds of silence she parted her fingers, peeking through them.

Klaus was simply sitting there, staring at her calmly. She removed her hand sheepishly.

"Have I mentioned that you look stunning this evening?" he asked as if nothing had happened.

She blushed again and said nothing, not sure how to reply. Thanking him wasn't their thing.

_Right? _

"Your hair's different," he noted.

"And let me guess, you like it?" Caroline mocked, trying to get back into the swing of their game.

It was the same thing he'd told her on her first day back in Mystic Falls, when she'd found him in her bedroom, on her bed.

Klaus looked down, remembering too as he laughed shyly.

It was adorable.

"I always like your hair, Caroline."

Now she was the one to duck her head.

From the first, _'I fancy you'_, she'd suspected that he was just a really smooth talker; having a smart and fancy British saying ready for any moment paired together with an endearment. But the more she'd gotten to know him, and especially during these last few weeks, she'd come to discover that that was the just the way he was around her. All his words were sincere, seemingly as thoughtlessly said and unfiltered as the way she sometimes spoke.

And it happened to end up being the best she had ever been treated by any guy.

Caroline opened her mouth, not even sure what she was about to say, but it didn't matter because Stefan came back bearing drinks.

"Apparently Grass is having a busy shift," Stefan said, sitting down. "But I compelled him to pay special attention to our table," Stefan finished proudly, grinning.

He placed brown liquid in front of each of them before adding more shot glasses to the middle of the table.

"Drinks but no woman," Klaus observed. "You, mate, are a terrific drinking partner but a _terrible _wingman."

Caroline focused on her drink again. She was so over hearing Klaus hit on this girl from afar.

Stefan rolled his eyes. "I suggested Arielle come over but she's here for a quick drink. She's only passing through town."

"As any sane individual would," Klaus sassed.

"Glad you're finally owning up to your insanity," Stefan said as he leaned backwards and took a deep gulp of his scotch.

"Is that where our relationship went wrong?" Klaus asked playfully.

Stefan laughed. "Look, my point is you should go over there now."

Caroline downed another shot.

Klaus glanced back over his shoulder then at his two companions.

"Perhaps another time. I'd much rather hang out with my two best friends tonight," Klaus said smiling.

"To hanging out," Stefan said, raising his already half-empty glass.

"And getting _so _drunk," Caroline joked, raising her own.

Klaus said nothing but simply clinked his glass to theirs, smiling absurdly.

* * *

"So, best friends, huh?" Stefan asked as he and Caroline exited the Grill arm in arm, unclear on who was supporting whom.

Klaus was still inside, settling the bill. He'd insisted, and Caroline and Stefan were far too tipsy to put up a decent argument.

Caroline would have been suspicious of his staying behind if Arielle hadn't left hours ago.

Truthfully they probably all should have left a long time ago, but regrets were low on the list of priorities when the utmost concentration was needed just to walk in a straight line.

The sun would be up in a few hours – at least, it felt like it would be. She hadn't brought a watch and lifting her heavy head and heavier eyelids up at the clock in the Grill had begun to become too much of an effort several hours ago.

Caroline laughed. Everything was funny.

"That surprised me too. But I guess when you're Klaus Mikaelson and you only have two friends, they're both your best friends."

Stefan began guffawing though her joke hardly merited the response.

They were so drunk.

As if a poignant reminder of that, out came Klaus, looking far more in control of his wits than either of them.

"Sure you can make it home, mate?" Klaus asked worriedly, noticing the tears streaming down Stefan's face as his laughter slowly died down.

"Provided I remember where I live… yes," Stefan replied then proceeded to laugh at his own joke.

Caroline would have laughed as well but she was too distracted by Klaus who was walking a bit too closely behind her. And even in her drunken state she was annoyed enough to hate herself for how distracting he was to her.

Klaus smirked, clearly amused by this side of Stefan. "You get on that. I'll make sure Caroline gets home safe."

"Safe," Stefan smirked, wiggling his eyebrows.

Clearly he was making a joke only he was in on and come morning, nobody would be.

The group split up as Stefan went off to his car and Caroline and Klaus swerved off in the other direction.

"Do you need me to carry you?" Klaus asked.

"I can walk," Caroline protested huffily.

She bent down and pulled off her heels before promptly handing them over to Klaus.

"Provided I can find your car," she said, imitating Stefan's joke.

He smirked. "I'm sure I can help with that."

He walked ahead to help her locate his Camaro, before realising that Caroline had in fact been understating her abilities: not only was she able to walk, but she was now skipping her way across the mostly deserted parking lot.

He smiled. Whenever he, for a split second, might forget what it was that he found so utterly enchanting about her, she would go ahead and do something like this. And then he could no longer understand how he'd gone his entire existence without being drunk in a parking lot along with a drunker Caroline as she skipped along to find a car the specifications of which she had no idea.

She was re-defining everything; his entire idea about what life was.

It scared him: that he had offered to show her the world, but that she was the one who showed him a new side of it every day. A side he always liked a far more than any he had seen over the past thousand years.

They neared his car and when he unlocked it Caroline gave an excited squeal at the lights of the black vehicle glimmering in the dark. She ran over and in her enthusiasm opened the door and climbed straight into the driver's seat.

He shook his head, chuckling, then leaned down to peer inside at her.

"Caroline, I have to sit there," he explained, as if talking to a child.

She pouted, looking down at her skintight skirt. "But I'll have to climb over."

Though he sympathised with her clothing situation, all she really had to do was get over the small distance that the gearstick occupied.

"I know, love," he said gently.

"Can't I just sit on your lap?" she continued pouting.

"Trust me, I'd like that," he replied and now he knew they were both drunk as hell.

He shook his head, trying to clear it.

"But it's not very safe," he finished level-headedly.

She huffed but moved over without further argument while he absently surveyed the parking lot in order to give her whatever privacy her wardrobe choice demanded.

* * *

Klaus pulled up to Caroline's house and looked over at her.

She had drifted off milliseconds after he had pulled away from the Grill and she was still fast asleep now, leaving him a bit uncertain on how to proceed.

He considered for a few moments before he got hold of her purse and started rummaging through it for her house keys.

He would go in and survey the situation before coming back out to fetch her.

Of course, most of 'surveying the situation' had to do with checking whether the Sheriff was home or not.

Klaus knew from his frequent visits to her house that Caroline's mother was often at work. Usually it worried him but now he hoped for it.

He unlocked the door, stepped inside and listened.

Nothing.

No footsteps, no sounds, no slumberous steady breathing – Caroline's mother was missing, as was quite usual.

Klaus heaved a sigh despite it being what he'd hoped for. It just made him wonder how alone Caroline often was. Or had used to be, before their unofficial nightly arrangement. He even found himself wondering if she had ever felt lonely at Whitmore; if the doppelganger proved adequate company.

He entered the kitchen and put on a fresh pot of coffee, all the while keeping an ear on the car outside. His vampires were watching the place but he could never be too safe.

Not with her.

He opened the refrigerator and smirked, immediately finding what he was looking for. He wondered what the civilians of Mystic Falls would say if they knew their town's Sheriff had stolen blood bags in her refrigerator.

He took Caroline's shoes and purse from the counter where he'd discarded them before heading to her bedroom. He placed both items on her dresser before moving to her bed.

He removed the continental pillows to the spot on the floor he'd noticed she always placed them, then pulled aside her comforter and adjusted her pillow slightly the way he had noticed she usually did.

He stepped back to admire his handiwork. Now Caroline could climb straight into bed.

He smiled at the thought that she would probably be proud of him for the compulsive way he had arranged everything.

The coffee-maker went off and he decided it was probably time to fetch Caroline now.

He wanted to carry her in but reasoned that he might as well wake her if he was going to be feeding her coffee in any case.

* * *

Caroline's eyes opened slowly as she felt her shoulder gently being shaken.

She quickly realised that she was home and the hand on her body belonged to Klaus. She'd probably only slept for about fifteen minutes but it felt like it had been hours.

Whichever, she felt a lot better.

Klaus held her arm as he quietly led her inside and although she didn't need it, she didn't shake him off either. It felt nice.

She wasn't sure why they were going to her kitchen but she didn't question it and she sure as hell didn't protest when she smelled freshly brewed coffee. Also known as heaven, right now.

Klaus sat her down and she rubbed a hand first over her face then into her hair. She didn't even want to think about the tangles in there right now.

Klaus materialised in front of her with a mug and a hair tie. She didn't even question the latter, taking both items thankfully. After tying her hair into a high bun she put the mug to her mouth, loving the feel of the steam rising from it.

She knew that Klaus was just standing there watching her but she didn't even care. She was in no state to be a good host but she wasn't going to be asking him to leave either.

"I'm _starving_," she said eventually, both because it was true and because filling silences was what she did.

A crease appeared between Klaus' eyes. "I could make you something."

She looked up in confusion. Had he really just offered to cook her a meal right now?

Then she noticed something behind him. Three blood bags were lined up on the gleaming counter. She reached behind him to get one then held it up.

"Nope, this is good."

Klaus shook his head. "That will dilute the alcohol in your blood. You need food."

"I'm a vampire, Klaus. Blood _is _food," she snapped, irrationally starting a fight because she was trying to be polite by not letting him cook her a meal, damnit.

"Not when you're dead drunk," he retorted.

"I'm also dead," she replied glibly.

He rolled his eyes. "It won't be any effort, Caroline."

She said nothing, mostly because her mind was too fuzzy to produce anything else for her to say, so he began pulling ingredients out of the cupboards and the fridge.

She finished her coffee then ripped into a blood bag, completely unaware of what Klaus was doing. All she knew was that he was making chopping and cooking-in-general noises and she was beginning to feel better than she had for hours.

But Klaus had been right. After draining her second bag of blood, she found her stomach still aching.

She reached for the third, but Klaus grabbed it first.

"That one's for me, sweetheart. Food's coming up," he reminded her, just as a wave of yummy smells hit her nose.

Her stomach growled loudly and the scent of blood in the air wasn't doing her any favours.

She attempted distracting herself by curiously watching Klaus drink. His eyes had turned gold at first, but now they were closed, savouring the taste and feel as the thick liquid rolled down his throat.

She looked away. That probably hadn't been the best idea.

Cravings of another kind weren't going to help her either.

She stood up and headed towards her cupboards, pulling out bowls and forks before pouring herself another mug of coffee. When she turned back around, she almost bumped into Klaus.

"Sorry," she said, gulping.

She found herself breathing heavily just because of that tiny near-contact with him. Klaus only smiled cordially, not taking note as he moved past her and back to the pan he was preparing their dinner in. _Breakfast? _Time was a complete mystery to her and she didn't mind acknowledging it.

Klaus was right though, the food was done in a flash. She didn't think even a half hour had passed before he served up two large bowlfuls of steaming pasta.

"Don't forget my coffee," she said, before walking backwards into the lounge with their pasta, a lazy smile on her face.

She was flirting now, she knew it. And whether it was the alcohol or the effect he had on her, she couldn't be sure, but she just couldn't help herself.

* * *

"Ok, no way," Caroline exclaimed, after having stuck a forkful of pasta into her mouth.

"What?" he asked worriedly as he settled into the sofa opposite her.

"You totally learned to cook this in Italy, didn't you?" she asked suspiciously.

He laughed, relived that she approved. "I worked there as a sous chef for a year. Quite an experience."

Caroline shook her head. She wasn't even going to ask whether he'd actually had the qualifications for that or if he'd just compelled his way into some poor chef's kitchen and winged it.

Besides, she had amazing pasta to dig into.

Heavenly pasta, really. The ingredients weren't hard to guess at seeing as they had all come from her kitchen and there were so few of them, but the way they all worked together was creating an experience her tastebuds hadn't ever had before.

She bit into a lemony mushroom, feeling incredibly glad that she'd allowed him to cook for her after all.

She was sticking a massive forkful of the basil-infused spaghetti into her mouth when she realised he was watching her intently.

"What?"

He grinned. "Nothing. You just seem…" He thought for a moment. "More sober."

She huffed. "Well, that's because I am."

It was true. The blood and coffee had settled her stomach and returned her mind to a way more focused state. She figured that she'd be back at one hundred percent by the time she finished her food.

Still, she felt the need to prove it and moreover she really wanted some uninterrupted time to finish off this amazing pasta. Two birds with one stone: she'd get him talking.

"So tell me something," she said, regrettably relegating her laden fork to her bowl.

"Anything, love," he said immediately because it was Klaus and what else would he say?

The thought made her bite back a gleeful grin. Anything. Always. For her.

"What's up with you and Stefan?" she asked, genuinely curious. "I know you two were buddies in the '20s but I wanna hear the whole story."

"The whole story," he repeated ponderingly as he tapped his fork against his bowl. "You know, I could tell you, but I'm afraid it would result in you seeing your friend in a different light."

She shrugged. She knew about Stefan's Ripper days. It really couldn't get much worse.

"Then again, for once I might come off looking the better guy," Klaus finished his thought, a cunning smile taking hold of his face.

* * *

"Stefan actually called you his brother?" Caroline asked in surprise.

Klaus nodded, smiling with an eyebrow raised.

Her reactions to his tale thus far had been incredibly entertaining.

Truth be told he was a bit surprised that he had told her at all. There were every few people who knew what had occurred between him, Rebekah and Stefan in the '20s. Up until recently not even Stefan had known.

Then again he had said he would tell her anything.

"Wow."

Caroline was in shock. The story he'd told her had surpassed her wildest expectations. The mere thought that there had once been a time when _Stefan _had been more deranged than _Klaus _blew her mind.

The fact that the younger vampire had inspired a whole new level of wickedness in the Original hybrid had been one thing to deal with, but that they'd actually been best friends? It made her question a few things.

Klaus finished the last of his pasta and she jumped up to take his bowl from him, placing both of theirs on the coffee table that had separated them.

She'd had just about enough separation for the night.

Instead of re-taking her seat she dropped down next to him, changing up their usual routine.

Surprised, Klaus backed up, but minimally considering that he was already pressed up to the sofa's armrest.

This was strange and he couldn't be sure exactly what was happening. Caroline had never come to sit next to him before. She always stayed on her side of the room in her armchair. And while he would've blamed the change on her level of intoxication, he'd just had a coherent conversation with her for over an hour. She seemed at least as sober as he was.

And he was right. Caroline was thinking clearly.

In fact it was her new levelheadedness that was driving her to do this.

Her clarity of mind allowed the night to keep replaying through her mind and one part of it just kept sticking, scratching the backs of her eyes, irritating her thoughts.

She moved even closer to the man in front of her, wondering how he still smelled so good after all the alcohol. He didn't back up again and she took it as a sign of encouragement.

She was now practically in his lap, her skirt-clad leg pressed up against his jeans as she leaned into him. His chest heaved as he sucked in a sharp breath.

He didn't know what game she was playing at but it was dangerous.

"I should go," he said quickly then got up.

"The girl," she uttered suddenly and Klaus turned back in confusion.

It took a second for him to grasp her words.

"What girl?"

"At the bar," she snapped, seeming annoyed with him.

Arielle.

Now he knew whom she was talking about but not what.

"You wanted her," she explained. "She wasn't human, so not just for her blood. You _wanted _her and…"

"You were jealous?" Klaus asked incredulously.

"No!" Caroline said firmly, her eyes widening with an intense fire behind them. "I wasn't jealous. I thought I was, but I wasn't."

He was confused but sat back down, not knowing what else to say.

"I mean yeah I didn't want you to want her and I didn't want you to be with her, but most of all… I just didn't want you to be hers."

His eyes widened too. What was she saying?

"I want you all to myself, Klaus," she sighed, burying her face in her hands ashamedly. "Which is the most selfish thing I've ever said, god."

She was chastising herself now for wanting him while she still had Tyler.

He put his palm to her face, pulling her back up to look at him.

"Being selfish is part of our nature, love."

She scoffed. "Seriously? You're turning this into a lesson?"

"Everything in life is a lesson, Caroline," he retorted. "A history lesson," he said, nodding pointedly around at the room where he had just told her about the '20s.

He swallowed before closing the distance he had managed to place between them.

To hell with the danger.

"A chemistry lesson," he continued, so close to her lips that they brushed slightly as he spoke.

He moved the hand on her face downwards and his other up, caressing her body that she had pushed so close to him.

He spared a quick grateful thought for her skintight clothing.

His one hand worked its way from her hip upwards, his other stroking its way down her chest. He watched her carefully for any sign of rejection but she stared straight into his eyes, openly waiting for each new word to drop from his mouth and for his hands to continue their journey along her perfect curves.

He stared back at those daring eyes and he couldn't help himself.

"An anatomy lesson," he found himself saying, his left hand encircling her breast as his right hand squeezed her waist.

She gasped sharply, her eyes closing briefly, and he smirked.

He smirked but he was hopelessly trying to grasp a hold of control.

She could see it in his eyes – overwhelming desire. And she could think of nothing else but that his hands were on her; could wish for nothing but his other hand on her other breast too. That he would put his lips to her and lay down on top of her and –

_God she wanted him so badly right now. _

Suddenly his hands were no longer on her body and his body was no longer on the sofa beside her either. She looked up at his standing form in confusion and her body shivered at the loss of his touch.

"I really should go," he said, already beelining for the door.

She didn't plan on saying anything. She swore she didn't.

She knew why he had to go after all. Things had almost just spiralled out of control.

But her tongue betrayed her mind, asking what her body was begging to know.

"Why?"

He paused, turning back to her. She was glad to see that he at least was breathing as shallowly as she was.

That small evil smile that she was wildly drawn to crept onto his lips and transformed his eyes into something else.

Something to be feared.

Something to be desired.

"Because I'm selfish too, Caroline. And I too want you all to myself."

Then he was gone but it was fine.

It was fine because it made perfect sense.

She'd spent the entire day agonising over it but in that moment she understood. They weren't just anybody; things didn't just fall into place for them. It never did for the epic ones.

So no, she didn't know what they had but it made perfect sense.

* * *

Klaus stared at his bedroom's roof. He had gotten home about twenty minutes ago, had proceeded to jump into a cold shower and now he was in bed simply roof-gazing.

Another place he had never imagined his life would ever come to.

His phone buzzed but he ignored it. There was only one person he wanted to hear from at the moment and it wouldn't be her.

He sighed.

She had said it. So many things had happened tonight, many of them glorious, but she had said it and for the moment it was all he could think about.

_I want you all to myself_.

He kept re-playing the moment in his head and it never became less sweet. It never became less life-changing.

And for a thousand year-old being, that was saying a lot.

_I want you all to myself_.

She wanted him. That part was difficult enough to take in. That she could admit that to him and to herself was enough. _Someone wanted him._ But she didn't just want him.

_I want you all to myself_.

She wanted to possess him; she wanted him to be all hers.

He didn't know how it had happened, how she had come to this realisation, but knowing she felt that way meant he didn't want anybody else either.

Not even for a single night.

_I want you all to myself_.

Now he just had to wait for her to decide that she wanted to be all his as well.

It would take more time, but he knew now. He knew how she felt.

And there wasn't a stone he wouldn't turn or a heaven he wouldn't move in order to obtain more and more of her favour now.

His phone buzzed again and he grabbed it, annoyed his train of thought being interrupted.

**Klaus**

**My room is perfect**

**Thank you**

He stared at the second text in surprise. It wasn't their thing for her to thank him. Not so casually, not like it wasn't a momentous occasion for them both.

Had the world turned on its head?

He wasn't sure, nothing made sense.

Nothing made sense anymore but it didn't matter.

_I want you all to myself, Klaus_.

* * *

Caroline stirred, opening her eyes sleepily. She wasn't sure what had woken her.

Turning to her clock, she realised that she couldn't have been asleep for long – it was only just past midnight.

She tuned her hearing, first inside her house, then to its surroundings.

She frowned when she heard scuffling. Hesitantly pulling her covers back, she uncertainly let her bare feet fall to her wooden floor.

She continued listening and when she heard coughed out choking sounds, she rushed out to her porch. She was just in time to catch someone hastily running away as a familiar figure dropped to the floor beneath a tree.

"Elijah!" she shouted, speeding towards him.

She offered him a hand and he took it, coughing as he made his way to his feet.

"Caroline," he managed to utter as he smoothed down his suit.

"Are you ok?"

He turned his head, searching for the figure that had disappeared into the leafy night. Letting go of her hand, he straightened up, looking like his usual self again.

"Fine, thank you Caroline." Frowning deeply, he motioned with his head to a tree opposite the one she'd just found him next to. "It's them we should be worried about."

Caroline followed his line of vision to where four dark-veined bodies lay. One whom she was familiar with.

"Oh my god, Carl!"

She fell to her bare knees, the sand and dry leaves pushing into her flesh as she looked forlornly at Klaus' four dead vampires.

Her protectors were dead and Elijah had just saved her life.

* * *

I'M REALLY SORRY TO EVERYONE WHO LIKED CARL PLEASE FORGIVE ME. Though, to be fair, I did warn y'all not to get too attached :)

The amount of times I considered not including this chapter in this story is insane. So many times I thought about uploading it as a Klefaroline one-shot or as putting it up separately as an outtake of this story. Instead I tweaked it until it fit more into the story and I'm glad for how the changes ended up integrating it into the story's canon properly. Hope you guys liked it.

In case you didn't get the reference in "Stefan, you have _another _friend?" it's about 209 where Caroline is surprised that Stefan has a friend (Lexi). I don't blame you if you don't remember it but it was just so adorable and my favourite Steroline friendship moment.

As for my writing of Stefan, I'm really hoping it was ok and I'm really sorry if it was terrible!

Caroline and Tyler

Let me just straighten something out because I feel I have to say it: Tyler has not been the biggest obstacle in the KC relationship in my story, at least not in the way I conceived it in my head. Caroline has thought of him rarely and his appearances were even rarer. If I'd written this story without Tyler from the very beginning, the only thing different about it would have been that there would have been a lot more almost-moments between Klaus and Caroline. But at the end of the day, she wasn't ready to jump into a relationship with Klaus. She still might not be ready. She has/has had issues with him, herself, her friends, etc.

As for the Forwood breakup, it is coming, it is big and (not to sound all biblical here or anything but) IT IS WRITTEN.

Fun fact: the outfit Caroline wears in this chapter is pretty much exactly (besides some colour changes), right down to the hair, an outfit Candice Accola has worn – in Nouveau magazine :)

Lyrics from _Dear Boy _by _Avicii_. Thought those lyrics work so well for this chapter because as much as they've been through, all of that is kinda Klaroline because their journey has never been easy – it's their game, in a way. And as much as Caroline's indecision is frustrating to Klaus, he is also super attracted to her darker side so her admitted selfishness in this chapter kinda sorta might have turned him on a little bit, lol (there was a lot of turning on in this one wasn't there, heh). Also, side note but, if I were to pick a theme song for this whole story it would totally be _Addicted to You _by _Avicii _as well :)

Aaaand that was an incredibly long Author's Note but in my defence this was a 9500-word chapter :)


	23. Chapter 23

I've done some more writing on the last chapter and ugh I'm so excited for you guys to read it. It has about 8 000 words right now and I'm still pretty far from being done.

I'm really anxious to know what you guys are gonna think about this chapter so please leave me allll the reviews :)

* * *

**Chapter 23: Black Tulip**

_There is something_

_I see in you_

_It might kill me_

_But I want it to be true_

"This had better be some twisted joke," Klaus said, his temper brewing as his gaze shifted between Elijah and Caroline.

Her appearance worried him somewhat: she looked smaller than usual, wearing a simple outfit with a pale pink cardigan. It was the matching paleness of her complexion even as she was bathed in the morning sunlight streaming into his home that made him believe the words Elijah had just spoken.

"Tell me everything," he growled.

Any other person would have been rattled by that, so Caroline watched in awe when Elijah simply stuck his hand into his pocket and calmly began pacing as he recounted.

"I arrived there just as he staked Carl. Naturally I was delighted to have the opportunity to rip out his heart and end this once and for all, but," and here Elijah cleared his throat, almost embarrassed, "his strength was surprising."

Klaus' brow wrinkled. "Are you saying he was stronger than _you_?"

"What a lovely turn of events," Rebekah said, suddenly strolling in with a sour expression.

Klaus' head whipped around to face his sister. "_You _haven't earned the right to speak in this house yet."

Rebekah's lips pulled into a firm line as she folded her arms.

Klaus turned back to Elijah for his explanation but seeing as the elder Mikaelson seemed to be having some difficulty that probably had to do with shame, Caroline stepped in.

"He had Elijah up against a tree when I got outside. I'd heard scuffling and coughing. The attacker ran off before I could get a good look. He must not have thought that he could take on both of us," she hypothesised.

"The fact that he could take Elijah _at all_ means we should get out of here as fast as possible," Rebekah pleaded with Klaus, fear evident on her features.

He threw her a withering warning look before returning to Elijah. "Surely _you _must have gotten a good look?"

Elijah nodded. "Dark skin, dark hair. I could pick him out of a room but I'd never seen him before last night."

Klaus' hands curled into fists at his side and Caroline rushed to defuse the situation. "The important thing is that Elijah saved me."

Klaus glanced at her and for a moment last night came back to both of them.

But she looked away and his eyes fell back on his brother.

"Why exactly were you at Caroline's house?" he asked suspiciously.

"You aren't actually accusing Elijah of something, are you?" Rebekah asked indignantly.

Klaus' knuckles turned white with strain as he resisted the urge to rip his sister's heart out. Or perhaps he'd start with the vocal chords.

"I was on my way home from the Salvatores' and considering the recent danger Caroline had been in, I thought it prudent to drive by to check on her safety," Elijah explained.

Caroline hadn't even questioned Elijah's presence at her place, she'd just been too grateful for him having been there at all. But now his explanation only brought her more gratitude, till she looked back to Klaus. His brows were furrowed in slight disbelief.

Suddenly he turned to her, pretending the calm he didn't feel inside.

"Caroline, would you mind leaving us? We have preparations to make for tonight's plan. I'll be sure to send an army of vampires to your home in the meantime."

* * *

"Mom, I'm glad you're home," Caroline, having caught a glimpse of her mother in the foyer's mirror.

"Right back at you," Liz replied, joining her daughter in the foyer. "I was just doing the washing and noticed two very strange things."

Caroline bit her lip guiltily. "Ok so I kind of got a little stabbed the other day, but I'm ok!"

Liz scowled at her daughter and Caroline grinned innocently, hoping that if she looked sweet enough she wouldn't get into trouble.

"Do you think you can save it?"

"Maybe. But by the look of the other weird thing I found with your stuff, it doesn't seem like you need it."

Caroline frowned in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"The brand new expensive-looking dress in your closet."

Crap. How was she going to explain that?

"Right. I forgot to tell you. I'm going to the Centenary Gala tonight."

Liz couldn't have been more surprised if someone had just told her that she'd won the lottery.

"You _hate _that event; you think it's for old people."

Crap. Her mother knew her so well.

"Yeah… but Klaus asked me to go with him."

Liz's eyebrow shot up as she looked amused. "And you said yes?"

"Don't get any ideas, Mom. I just took pity on him because I thought no man should have to take his sister somewhere as his date." A thought occurred to her. "Are you going to be there?"

Liz sighed gratefully. "No, I actually have the night off, for once. June and I are going to a movie."

Caroline did her best not to sigh in relief or do anything that might attract her mother's suspicion.

Liz's glare had faltered slightly at Caroline's explanation for accompanying Klaus to the Gala but she still looked like something was bothering her.

"So where did the dress come from? I know I don't make that kind of money, Caroline."

Caroline gulped guiltily. And queue yet another lie.

"From Klaus."

"Klaus gave you a dress?" Liz asked disbelievingly.

Caroline shifted uncomfortably, before moving around her mother and into the kitchen. She was a better liar when she was busy.

"Why do you say that with such disbelief? He gave me dresses for his family's Ball and prom," she reminded.

Her mother's frown quickly disappeared as she remembered.

"That's right." Then she put a hand to her hip. "But when did accepting expensive dresses from people become a habit, Caroline?"

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Mom, prom was the only time I actually asked him – which happened to be an emergency. Now and for the Ball it was his fault for asking me so close to the time, so the least he could do was give me something to wear."

Liz didn't look too convinced so Caroline folded her arms.

"Besides, who's calling the kettle black now, Miss Multi-Million Dollar Necklace?"

Liz narrowed her eyes at her daughter before laughing. "Fine, you win. I'm going to finish sorting the washing."

"Hey Mom, wait up!"

Her mother turned back around, frowning.

Caroline nibbled on her lip. "I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Ok… what is it?"

Caroline's hands fidgeted, anxious about what her mother's response would be.

For a second she considered not going through with it. But then Klaus' face when she'd told him her decision flashed through her mind and she knew she had to.

"I decided that I'm not going back to Whitmore."

Liz frowned, visibly taken aback. "What?"

"I'm not going back on Monday. Or this year at all," she clarified resolutely.

Liz's frown only deepened. "Caroline, where is this coming from? You love college."

"I do. I _did_. But let's be honest, I didn't even really know what I was doing there. I don't know what I want to do with my life yet! I mean, I don't even know what 'do with my life' even _means_ anymore. That's a human concept, isn't it?" She sighed, frustrated as she tried to get the right words out. "I have hundreds of years ahead of me. What am I really gonna do – get a degree and then go get some nine to five job?"

"I…" but Liz wasn't sure what to say.

"I did like college. It was fun and an awesome experience. But I want to experience other things too. There's a whole world out there waiting for me. I can do college any time I want."

Caroline watched with bated breath as her mother uncertainly considered her words. Then the older blonde moved forward and placed a hand on her daughter's arm.

"Ok."

"Ok?" Caroline asked in surprise, a slow ecstatic grin spreading across her face.

"If you're sure it's what _you_ want," Liz emphasised seriously.

Caroline pulled her mother in for a hug, smiling into her shoulder.

"It really is."

* * *

"Greetings, mate," Klaus smiled at the human before him.

"Klaus," Matt said, half in confusion and half in pure fear.

As much as he loved Rebekah, he still wasn't really comfortable with her whole family and especially not her psychotic hybrid brother.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, rounding his shoulders.

"I thought we could have a bit of a chat," Klaus replied.

Matt stared at the Original suspiciously. He seemed way too chipper.

"Uh, pass," Matt said, moving to close the door.

"Come on, I came all the way down to your house, the least you could do is hear me out," Klaus stated jovially.

Matt sighed, folding his arms. He supposed it wouldn't kill him to hear Rebekah's brother out. Hopefully.

"Fine."

Klaus' brow raised in amusement. "Aren't you going to invite me in?"

Matt smirked. "No way."

The cheerful façade immediately dropped and Klaus' face darkened as he smiled evilly.

"Well, you're not as dumb as you look, are you?"

Matt stared at Klaus in confusion for a couple of seconds, before leaning back against the door.

"Look man, just say what you came to say so you can leave," Matt stated straightforwardly.

"Quite the blunt one, aren't you?" Klaus asked, smirking.

Matt stared pointedly. He had nothing left to say to the hybrid.

"Very well," Klaus began. "You may be aware of an event my sister is attending tonight. You may know that she's going there to protect Caroline."

Matt nodded. He didn't like the plan but he did know about it. And even if he didn't like it, Caroline's life was on the line so it was something he'd come to accept.

"Well this morning my dear sister said something quite disturbing. You wouldn't happen to know about _that_, would you?"

Matt shook his head and Klaus smiled as if that's what he'd been expecting.

"She suggested we simply leave and outrun this threat."

Matt's eyes widened. Rebekah hadn't told him about that. Then again, her brother had probably quashed the suggestion as soon as she'd said it.

But it still bothered him a little that she would even consider something like that; Caroline was their friend.

"Now it's questionable whether you were included in that plan but regardless, she certainly wanted to leave Caroline here to fend for herself. Which, as you can imagine, doesn't leave me particularly confident about her stake in Caroline's life."

Matt sighed. "Rebekah wouldn't deliberately let Caroline get hurt if that's what you're suggesting, Klaus. She knows how important she is to me."

A sly smile gripped Klaus' features and Matt couldn't help feeling like the other man knew something he didn't. He chuckled lightly, looking out at the road behind him then back at Matt.

"Nevertheless, I decided the best way forward was making sure she invested herself a little more."

Finally, it seemed Klaus was getting to his point.

"And what better way than to make her fully understand precisely what's on the line here?"

"What are you talking about?" Matt asked.

Klaus took two steps forward, coming as close to the inside of Matt's house as he was able to.

"Caroline is my first priority. For tonight to go smoothly, I need her to be Rebekah's as well."

Klaus' jaw clenched and Matt took a step backwards, a fearful pit beginning in his stomach just from the predatorial look in Klaus' eyes.

"If something were to happen to Caroline tonight, I wouldn't want to be you, mate."

"Are you threatening me?"

"I'm telling you that I will rip your spine out through your stomach right after I burn down your protective little house," Klaus growled.

Matt swallowed, his heart speeding. He had no retort for that.

Then Klaus stepped back, smiling amiably again.

The man really was deranged.

"Feel free to relay this to dear Rebekah in a timely fashion," he suggested, before walking off.

Matt watched Klaus' car until it had disappeared from sight then slammed the front door shut and leaned back against it, breathing heavily.

He pulled out his phone and hit the speed dial.

* * *

Caroline was staring at her phone in annoyance as she kept re-reading the text she'd gotten a minute ago.

**Come over tonight. We can get ready together.**

- **Rebekah**

Yeah, right. The female Mikaelson would probably find a way to stab her with a curling iron.

**What is this, some kind of trap?**

**No thanks, count me out.**

She was about to head to the bathroom when her phone buzzed again.

**No trap, just a truce.**

**Please, it will make Nik happy.**

**I can zip you up :)**

Caroline smirked. Rebekah wasn't even trying to be subtle about her motives.

Caroline guessed that Rebekah's words and behaviour this morning had caused her to be in even hotter waters with her brother.

Still, Rebekah was right, it _would_ make Klaus happy.

And though she needed absolutely no assistance with her dress's zip, she quickly typed a reply in the affirmative.

* * *

"Caroline," Klaus said in surprise when the blonde walked through his door.

"Hey," Caroline smiled softly, just because he looked good and for a second she couldn't help it. Then she remembered herself. "Um, Rebekah didn't tell you?"

"My sister and I aren't really on speaking terms at the moment."

"Oh, right. Well she invited me to dress here."

Taking a second look, Klaus realised that made sense. Her eyes were smokey black, her curled hair artfully pinned back and she dragged a dress bag over her shoulder.

"I'm surprised you would agree to that," he replied.

"I didn't want her to think that I was still mad at her," Caroline shrugged.

He nodded in understanding then caught sight of diamonds on her wrist.

Her eyes followed his line of vision to the bracelet he'd given her around her arm and they both stared at it for a second.

"I have no idea where my sister is," he suddenly said apologetically.

"Oh," she responded with furrowed brows, confused.

Rebekah had invited her over, only to disappear on her?

"Do you think she meant wherever her and Matt are living?"

He shrugged. "I couldn't guess at the way my sister's mind works. But if you don't even know where that is, then I doubt it."

Caroline nodded slowly, considering her options, before a thought occurred to her. "What are _you_ wearing tonight?"

What looked like guilt flashed through Klaus' eyes before he lowered his gaze. "About that… the plan has been altered slightly."

Caroline shook her head, surprised by the hesitance in his tone. What, had he decided against a bowtie or something?

"I won't be attending the gala this evening," he finally explained.

"What?" Caroline asked in confusion. "I don't understand."

"After realising the strength of whomever your attacker was, we realised it would be foolish to place my life on the line, however unlikely the event of him finding the White Oak stake may be."

"Your life…" Caroline repeated, trying to weed out exactly what he was trying to tell her.

"My siblings convinced me that it would only place you doubly in harm's way if I attend, considering that if I die, you die – "

"Along with all my friends," Caroline realised.

"I'm sorry, Caroline, I know – "

"No, don't apologise. You have to stay here," she said forcefully.

He sighed, knowing her concern was with her friends and not for herself.

"I'm not sure how I'll manage to stay here while you act as bait for some maniac," he began, but she cut him off again.

"As long as I have Rebekah and Elijah." Then she took a deep breath as she eyed him seriously. "Klaus, do you trust them?"

The question surprised him, though it was something he himself might have asked had he been in her situation. His eyes searched her similar ones as he considered.

Elijah was too noble to let anything happen to Caroline; he liked her far too much. Besides, if some harm were to come to Caroline, Katerina would not be far behind.

And Rebekah, well, she knew exactly where she stood with him: one slip-up and she would be going straight back into her coffin. And, as far as she knew, she would've earned her little boy toy's death as well.

"I do."

Caroline nodded in relief. She trusted him, and if he trusted them then she knew she would be safe tonight.

"Then I'll be fine," she smiled re-assuringly. Then she sighed, looking at her watch. "I should probably call Rebekah."

She was about to pull out her phone but his hand caught her wrist, his warm thumb tracing the skin around the diamonds, fingering her pulse. It quickened.

"Or you could just change in my bathroom."

And if she didn't know any better, she would've thought his hand on hers was a persuasion tactic because she felt her head moving, nodding, of its own accord.

"Ok."

He smiled, reluctantly relinquishing her hand as he led her upstairs.

He wanted to say something, anything, to address what had happened between them last night but he found himself quite speechless in that regard. Besides, he didn't want her to feel uncomfortable in any way, especially when she was already probably feeling anxious about the coming event.

_And he wouldn't even be there._

Klaus was gritting his teeth when they got to his bedroom but Caroline didn't notice, confidently walking ahead to his bathroom.

"Caroline," he called out and she turned with a frown.

He neared her, taking a deep breath.

"Yeah?"

"Would you wear something else I gave you?"

She had no idea what he was talking about but she found herself nodding again anyway.

He stepped even closer, his hands coming around his neck before he pulled off one of his pendants.

Her breath dropped away as his hands drew his rosary up above his head, removing it.

He placed the jumble of prayer beads into her hand and she looked down at it, the cross hanging from the end of it.

It was the pendant he wore most consistently, and looking down at the beads which meant nothing to her in the way of religion, she found herself too choked up to say anything to reciprocate his gesture.

He'd just placed the item that his heart beat against every day into her hands. She wasn't sure there _were _any appropriate words.

* * *

"Be honest, how much danger are you in tonight?" Matt asked urgently.

Rebekah looked into Matt's clear blue eyes, taking his hand between her own two.

"_Honestly_, I have no idea. Potentially none – as far as we know Nik still has the White Oak stake in his possession."

"You mean he hasn't said if does or not?"

Rebekah's lips pulled into a straight line. "He's kept annoyingly mum on the subject."

She squeezed Matt's hand before sitting down to find the pair of earrings she wanted to wear that she'd left in her room at the Mikaelson mansion.

He sighed. "I don't trust him." Then he looked off, riddled with guilt about what he was about to say: "I wish you didn't have to do this."

Rebekah stared at his reflection in her boudoir's mirror, her heart clenching at this gesture from the man who loved her. How he loved her so much that he wished she didn't have to potentially put her life on the line for one of his friends.

Still, she knew that at the end of the day he did really want her to do it. And moreover, she had very little choice. Niklaus had made that clear when he had threatened Matt's life this afternoon.

She'd been silly to think that she had any choice.

"On the contrary, this is the best thing Rebekah could be doing," Elijah said, entering Rebekah's room.

"So much for private conversations," Rebekah muttered.

But Matt looked up, frowning. "What do you mean?"

"My sister's co-operation tonight will be instrumental in the re-building of this family."

Rebekah scoffed, applying another layer of mascara. "You live on dreams, Elijah. There is nothing left to re-build."

"No, Rebekah, we just cannot rebuild precisely what we once had."

Rebekah frowned, turning to her eldest brother. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He sighed. "Neither one of us are the people we once were. I have Katerina, you have Matt…"

When he trailed off, Matt frowned. "What are you trying to say?"

"We all have something to lose now. But we also have something to gain, if we're willing to work for it."

Rebekah bit out a laugh. "Naturally. I have to work for my happiness and he just gets it handed to him on a silver platter."

"Niklaus has suffered much too, Rebekah," Elijah reminded her.

Matt felt like he was missing out on an integral part of this conversation. "What are you two talking about?"

Elijah turned to the human boy, smiling gently. "For a thousand years our brother has destroyed our happiness, bringing disaster down on the ones we loved. But never before has he known his own happiness."

"And what, now that he supposedly might have it, you think he'll let us have ours?" Rebekah asked sceptically.

Elijah shrugged. "It is the only hope we have."

Matt was beginning to put the pieces together. If they protected Caroline they would all get to be happy with the people they loved, because Klaus would be happy with…

"Wait, are you guys talking about _Caroline_? _Caroline_ and Klaus?"

The siblings turned to him, Elijah with mild confusion and Rebekah with worry.

"Caroline's with Tyler," he reminded them.

Rebekah bit her lip. She'd suspected that he would have a problem with this. Tyler was his best friend and as a result up until this point she'd deliberately avoided explaining precisely what it was about Caroline that made her protection first on their family's list of priorities.

As usual her brother stepped in to salvage the situation.

"We're well aware, Matt. But our brother cares deeply for Caroline. And if anything happens to her tonight, Niklaus will _never _let us be happy, regardless of the status of their relationship."

Matt nodded slowly in understanding, remembering Klaus' threat from that afternoon. He had no doubt that Klaus would kill him if something happened to Caroline.

In the mirror, Elijah and Rebekah shared a privately relieved look.

She quickly pasted a smile on her face as she turned to Matt. "So, Handsome, ready for tonight?"

* * *

Caroline reached underneath her arm to pull up her zip then took a step backwards, admiring herself in the bathroom's massive mirror.

The fabric of the dress hugged her curves perfectly until right below her knees where it flared out in mermaid-fashion, puddling to create an open flower beneath her feet. Caroline smiled. She couldn't help thinking that the dress made her look like an upside down tulip.

Except that the body of her dress was dark as night, the black stopping at her chest to make way for snow white encrusted lace overlaid onto black mesh. The lace artfully covered her breasts, then arched up to create a high neckline. The transparent mesh in turn went from her neck to just above her butt, leaving her entire back visible.

She felt Klaus' pendant dangling lightly between her breasts, constantly feathering over her heart, and it made her smile.

She gave herself one last look then, satisfied, she stepped back out into Klaus' bedroom.

His back was to her as he sat on the chaise, reading a book.

Klaus turned around when her soft but unmistakeable scent alerted him to her presence.

Caroline almost laughed at his resulting dropped jaw. Immediately that day in the fitting room was worth it; she'd been dying to get his opinion but simultaneously wanting this moment to be a surprise.

"This is the part where you tell me how amazing I look," she teasingly reminded him as he still stared with wide eyes.

She wondered if he could see his beads through the mesh of her dress.

A small involuntary smile played at his lips as he stood up and walked towards her. He opened his mouth to reply.

"You are certainly are a vision, Caroline!"

Klaus' jaw ticked as he turned in annoyance to his brother, who stood at the entrance to the bedroom.

Caroline looked down modestly. "Thank you, Elijah. You look dashing yourself."

Elijah smiled, looking down at his black tux. "Thank you."

"My pleasure."

"Ah the pleasure is all mine. As will be the honour of having you on my arm this evening."

Right. She was Elijah's date. Her glance slid back to Klaus' pained one, before returning to Elijah's figure in the doorway.

Her and Klaus' moment had gone.

"Are we leaving?" she asked the elder brother.

"My sister asked me to apologise to you for not being here; she was held up. However, she asked me to send you to her for… approval, so we may depart."

Of course Rebekah felt the need to approve of Caroline's dress before they could leave. Probably to make sure it wasn't nicer than her own.

She nodded, smoothing down her dress, then walked past Klaus before turning back to him hesitantly.

"I'll see you later."

Klaus looked like he wanted to say a million things but he simply nodded his head.

"Be careful, Caroline."

* * *

"Are you nervous?" Elijah asked from the driver's seat.

"I've been better," Caroline admitted with a small smile.

"Caroline, I want to assure you that your safety is everyone's first priority this evening."

"It's not only me I'm worried about, though." She made a small disapproving noise. "I can't believe Rebekah's taking Matt."

Elijah smiled comprehendingly. "It's my understanding that he insisted on accompanying her."

"He's putting his life in danger."

"We all make the decisions we can live with," Elijah responded cryptically.

Caroline frowned. "That seems like you're talking about more than just Matt and Rebekah."

Elijah smirked; she truly had a gift for reading people.

"I was just thinking of Niklaus and his choice to stay, in order to protect you."

"To keep our bloodline safe?" she confirmed.

Elijah's eyebrow rose. "Is that what he told you?"

A sinking pit began in her stomach. "What do you mean?"

"We are convinced that whoever this attacker is has his sights set primarily on my brother. Therefore my sister and I were deliberately very vocal about attending this evening's event, as well as whom we would be attending with. If the attacker has been paying attention then he must know that Niklaus will be alone this evening."

Caroline's eyes widened. "Klaus thinks this guy may come and face him head on?"

"Moreover, I believe it may be what he wants."

"Why?"

Elijah gave Caroline a pointed sidelong glance. "Because then the attacker won't be at the Gala, Caroline. With you."

Caroline pulled her eyes from Elijah's as his words settled in that pit in her stomach.

Then she threw up her hands. "Great! So now not only have I put you, Rebekah and Matt's lives in danger – and also potentially everyone at the Gala – but also Klaus', along with all my friends," she practically yelled in frustration.

"This is not your fault, Caroline," Elijah reminded her calmly.

"Well then whose is it?" she demanded. "Because I'd like to give them a good talking-to!"

Elijah smirked, again seeing the fire his brother found so irresistible in the blonde.

"Perhaps we shall find out this evening."

"It's just… is there _anyone_ I don't need to worry about tonight?" Caroline huffed.

She would've pulled at her hair but it had taken forever to get it looking this perfect.

"Elena mentioned staying home and watching movies," Elijah offered.

They shared a look and Caroline burst out laughing.

"Thanks for that, Elijah."

She continued looking at him as he turned his attention back to the road.

"You know, you're a pretty awesome brother."

He looked at her in surprise and she smiled.

"I just thought you should know. It doesn't seem like Klaus is really the type to admit to something like that."

Elijah seemed to be supressing another smirk. "No. He certainly isn't." Then he offered her a genuine smile. "Thank you, Caroline."

She grinned back. "You're welcome."

Her gaze wondered from his face to her lap, where her hands were fidgeting nervously.

As much as Elijah was trying to set her mind at ease, she was still worried. Worried about whoever may be waiting for her at the Gala and what they wanted with her. Worried about the human they were dragging into this mess. Worried about the Originals.

Worried about one particular Original, in case the attacker did decide to try out his luck and head somewhere other than the Gala. Her heart ached at the thought.

Worried about the beads that hung by her heart while she still had no idea what to do about their owner.

She heard Elijah take a deep breath and turned to look at him questioningly. He had his business face on.

"About this evening… my sister and I will not be able to remain by your side. Though I would like nothing better, I'm afraid it might scare off your attacker."

Caroline nodded slowly. It made sense.

"However, we will check in with you consistently, and in order for us to keep track of you, we need you to speak as much as possible when we aren't at your side. It will be too difficult to listen for breathing or heartbeat at an event like this."

Caroline breathed, taking in his instructions, then laughed.

"Lots of talking. Don't worry, I'm good at that."

* * *

The four of them stepped into the Jacksons' huge house, Rebekah on Matt's arm and Caroline on Elijah's. There were lights and glitter everywhere and plenty of polite noise coming from some room not too far away.

"The _Centenary_ Gala," Rebekah snarled disapprovingly. "What are they even celebrating one hundred years of?"

"I'm not sure anybody actually knows," Caroline replied honestly.

Matt laughed, nodding. "We once tried to ask our History teacher, Mr Tanner, and he mysteriously suddenly needed the bathroom."

Caroline laughed along, remembering hearing about the incident.

"All we know is that it's the one time in the year that all of the old people in Mystic Falls can get their fanciest outfits out of hiding and claim to be celebrating something."

"Well," Elijah started, smiling, "then we should fit right in."

Caroline inclined her head, smiling a little. She sometimes forgot that he had a sense of humour too. The Originals were pretty quirky when it came to humour though, she had to admit.

Finally a server arrived with a tray bearing flutes.

"Champagne?" Elijah asked her, reaching out.

Caroline's eyes drifted from his face to the beautiful bubbles in the sparkly liquid that only reminded her of one person. She swallowed dryly.

"No, thank you."

* * *

She had to get something to drink eventually. She was too stressed not to.

Caroline tapped her fingers on the bar top impatiently, waiting for the bartender to get back. He'd gone to fetch some component he needed to make her drink and now she was stuck here waiting. She was freaking out because Elijah had told her to keep talking and she couldn't very well mutter to herself, she'd look like a crazy person.

The 'bartender' was some guy she was pretty sure was related closely enough to the Jacksons to be here but distantly enough to get relegated to this crappy job. Still, she preferred his company over endangering herself.

She tapped her fingers a few more times before giving up. She'd send Elijah to get her a drink while she waited safely at their table. Yes, technically the whole point of this excursion was to draw her attacker out but she felt too jittery to do that right now. Especially without some form of alcohol running through her blood.

She turned around, scoffing in annoyance at the Jacksons' distant cousin's inability to move at a decent pace, when she ran right into a familiar face.

He was smiling creepily at her in all his pearl-toothed green-eyed hotness.

"Caroline, what a surprise!"

It was so obviously sarcastic. Her blood ran cold.

"Jesse."

* * *

Caroline couldn't believe it. She was actually being pushed out onto a balcony by gunpoint. She was pretty sure this was some kind of Bond movie moment.

"Wooden bullets, I'm guessing?" she asked.

"Why else would you have come with me?" he replied snidely, digging his gun further into her back.

She thought of something to say. Anything.

_Just keep talking._

"Well I didn't exactly feel like being shot in the middle of a town event. This dress is new."

Jesses bit out a laugh. "So sassy. You know, I liked that about you."

He closed the door behind them and she pulled her arm from his grip.

"What do you want, Jesse? _You _killed Carl? What the hell is this all about?"

Jesse stared at her for a second before smiling lightly. "If you're talking about your vampire protectors then yeah I killed them. And not to disappoint or anything, but this actually has nothing to do with you."

Caroline's face turned grim. "Klaus."

"Yip, there's the other thing I liked about you. So smart!"

She glared at him. "What does all this have to do with Klaus?" Before he could answer she sighed, relenting. "Look, whatever it is, I can talk to Klaus for you, ok? I can make him see reason," she promised something she had no way of knowing for sure.

That small cruel smile still played at his lips as he neared her slowly. She retreated even further, pushing her back into the ledge.

"Is that so?"

"Y-yeah."

"Well that's nice and everything, but here's the problem: I don't want to talk to Klaus," he admitted. "I want to _kill anything he's ever cared about_."

She didn't even allow herself a gasp.

She launched herself against him, pinning her arm against his neck, sticking her elbow into the sensitive part of it the way Klaus had shown her.

While he was caught off-guard, she swiftly grabbed his gun and threw it over the ledge.

Jesse coughed then managed a laugh before throwing her off himself forcefully.

She'd forgotten for just a second about how strong he was and it had cost her.

"Impressive, I've gotta say."

She was up against the ledge again and now he pushed himself against her, paralysing her.

Suddenly she felt three sharp jabs in her neck. Her hand shot up as she began to panic.

"_What the hell was that_?"

He smiled vaguely. "Oh, just a little something to make this a bit easier. And a little something else, but you don't have to worry about that just yet."

_Just talk. Say something, save yourself._

"Klaus is here and he's going to find me."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes," she spat.

He moved away, laughing as he turned his back to her. "We both know you're lying, Caroline. I did a thorough check of this place before coming to find you."

His neck was exposed.

His neck was exposed and it would be so easy to bring out her fangs and sink them into him, drinking his blood before ripping off his head.

And she felt her veins expose themselves as her fangs dropped, but when she wanted to speed forward she found her movements sluggish; infinitely slower than a human's.

"What did you do to me?" she asked in horror.

He turned half his body towards her, smiling proudly. "Things feeling a little slow? That would be a paralytic."

Caroline's throat started closing up in panic. She was slowly being paralysed and they weren't coming.

Elijah and Rebekah weren't coming for her.

She felt her knees weaken and Jesse caught her when she went limp.

"That worked faster than I expected," he laughed.

Then he lifted her into the air and flung her.

Caroline was vaguely aware of landing roughly on the grass two storeys below but she couldn't move and her brain was going fuzzy.

"Why don't you just kill me?" she managed to breathe out.

"_Because I want to see you suffer_," he snarled.

She gasped, her eyes jolting wide open as she felt white hot stabs all over her body. He'd mounted her on some kind of spiky equipment, she thought, but she couldn't crane her neck to check. All she knew was that she could taste her own blood in her mouth.

Jesse smirked as he watched blood seep all over the white encrusted lace on her torso.

"Sorry about your dress."

* * *

"Rebekah, when last did you see Caroline?"

"About fifteen minutes ago, what about you?"

Elijah's face was sombre. "Ten."

"Are you worried?"

He nodded curtly. "I can't hear her."

Rebekah concentrated her hearing, directing it to different areas of the house. She didn't hear the annoying little blonde's voice either.

"What should we do?" Rebekah asked, panic lightly beginning to grip at her.

Elijah's hand was suddenly at his sister's arm, grasping it desperately. "Rebekah, we cannot allow anything happen to Caroline, do you understand?"

Rebekah's eyes were frozen on her brother's grave face. She breathed. "That's why I'm here."

He nodded again, accepting her agreement.

"I instructed her to keep talking. We probably just can't hear her because she's gone too far." Then he looked around at the room full of bustling people. "Or perhaps because of all the noise," he said in annoyance.

Rebekah nodded thoughtfully before grinning: "I have an idea!"

Elijah frowned but his sister speedily walked up to the stage and Elijah watched her determined attitude with some humour.

The rest of the room looked on in surprise as the unfamiliar blonde intimidated the string quartet into stopping with just a glare.

"Hello, residents of Mystic Falls," she said into the microphone, smiling broadly.

Most of the crowd had no idea who the Australian addressing them was, but she looked decent enough in her long black dress covered in an ornate white design and her blonde hair pulled into an elegant hairstyle.

"Welcome to the Centenary Gala, of course. I'm Rebekah Mikaelson," Rebekah introduced herself. "And since I put so much into this event, I thought I would come up here and say a few words," she lied, hoping nobody who had actually planned the event was in the room at the moment.

"But before I do that, considering the long way this town has come, I think it's only fitting that we offer up a moment of silence for the belated Mayor Carol Lockwood, may she rest in peace."

There was an agreeing grumble before the noise in the room came to a standstill. Elijah nodded at his sister approvingly before turning his concentration to listening carefully.

He had gotten about halfway before the murmurings started back up. He shook his head brusquely at Rebekah.

She gritted her teeth. Their damn mayor was dead and the most this bloody town could sum up for her was five seconds of not opening their giant mouths. She pasted an even bigger smile on her face.

"And, of course, another moment for her departed loving husband and our previous brave leader, Mayor _Richard_ Lockwood."

Boy, those Lockwoods were becoming extinct.

She was hiding a smile when Elijah nodded at her.

"South side of the garden," he murmured, before disappearing so fast that the guests only noticed a gust of wind as he blew past.

Now she just had to wrap this up.

* * *

Elijah stopped at the entrance to the garden, carefully stepping forward to analyse the scene before him.

He had walked but a few steps before he caught sight of Caroline.

She was on the ground, her haunting black dress spread all around her. His eyes shot to the bloodstained portion of her chest, out of which stuck some ten industrial-strength steel spikes. She was caught on some kind of contraption for which he could see no other purpose than torture.

He sincerely hoped that it was something the attacker had brought along and not some part of the Jacksons' gardening equipment.

Caroline's eyes were fluttering as she wretched, blood spurting from her mouth and the whites of her eyeballs showing. Elijah felt his heart speed up in anger, no longer caring about where the attacker was. He had to save Caroline.

He was about to speed over when he felt himself pulled into a chokehold.

"Who are you?" Elijah coughed out.

"She knows," Jesse said, gesturing his head towards the bloodied blonde. "Unluckily for you, she won't be alive for much longer." He grinned. "And neither will you."

* * *

Rebekah ran outside just in time to see her brother's neck get snapped.

She didn't make a sound as she assessed the situation.

Elijah would be fine. But soon the man would turn around and see her. She had to help Caroline, but the other blonde looked stuck to some kind of nasty contraption.

Even with Rebekah's speed, she wouldn't be able to hoist the other blonde off it before Elijah's murderer had time to attack.

She held her breath as she considered.

She had a few seconds at most before he would turn around, she knew it. He was squatting by Elijah's body now, seemingly either checking his pulse or gloating.

And though her brother lay there on the floor, at his attacker's mercy, Rebekah made her decision with fisted palms.

She raced over to Caroline and lifted the spiked equipment. It tested her strength but there was simply no other way.

Jesse heard her huff in effort and turned around quickly, just in time to see another blonde pick Caroline along with his spiky friend up like it didn't weight a tonne.

He snarled at her. "You people are like cockroaches, aren't you?"

And normally Rebekah would have retorted, something snarky enough to make this arsehole regret messing with her family, but she didn't. Not tonight.

Tonight she didn't have the time. She had to run Caroline home; get her safe. Nik would know what to do.

She just wished she'd worn better shoes.

* * *

He met her outside.

"What the hell happened?" Klaus yelled.

"Could you hold off on the scolding and help me get her off here?" Rebekah snapped, dropping the spiked rail with exhausted arms.

Klaus glared but nodded, before placing two hands beneath Caroline's back.

Together they lifted her off and rushed into the house, laying her on a table.

"Why isn't she moving?" Klaus asked hysterically.

Rebekah wanted to tell him to calm down but he had a point. Caroline remained completely motionless, her wounds still open as more and more blood gushed onto the expanse of her dress, now matted to her skin.

"I-I don't know."

She had nothing else.

He pushed Caroline's hair away from her face, watching the unhealing gaping holes in her chest with wild eyes.

"What did he do to her?" he shouted.

"I don't know, Nik!" Rebekah yelled back.

She felt helpless as she watched Caroline's lifeless form. Then her breathing hitched.

"Did you hear that?"

Klaus frowned and listened. Caroline's heartbeat was slowing to almost a standstill.

He had to do something.

He bit into his wrist and held his bleeding arm to her mouth, but it was no use.

Her mouth was firmly closed. His blood dripped from her lips and down her chin.

Klaus cursed and Rebekah winced.

"You think it's werewolf poison?"

Klaus shrugged, a mutinous expression on his face. "He's had it before, hasn't he?"

"But she isn't exhibiting any of the usual symptoms. No sweating, hallucinations, heavy breathing, she just – "

"Can you stop doing a bloody diagnosis and help me?"

Rebekah glared at him but nodded. "What do you want me to do?"

His fingers gripped the side of the table tightly, holding himself up, as he leaned over Caroline's body, his eyes scanning the room desperately.

She watched his knuckles turn white. He was losing it.

He was losing her.

"Get me a hypodermic needle," he suddenly bit out.

She was back with it in seconds, slamming it down in the palm of his hand.

He bit the plastic open before stabbing the needle into his arm.

Rebekah backed up, watching her brother stick the needle tenderly into Caroline's chest, injecting the blood into her heart.

Nik didn't do anything tenderly.

When nothing happened, he went back for a second needle-ful of the cure his blood contained.

Still nothing changed.

"I have to go," Rebekah suddenly said.

His bloodshot eyes glowered at her. "Are you really going to leave me right now?"

"I left Elijah and Matt there with a murderer! I have to go back!"

It was true. But mostly she knew that she couldn't stay here with him right now. She had a feeling her life would be in danger.

There was no telling what Nik would do when Caroline died.

* * *

He didn't cry.

He was Klaus Mikaelson. He cursed and pleaded and threatened – oh, he _threatened_ – but he did not cry.

"Caroline, I'm sorry."

He still stood over her, his scotch breath wafting over her bloodstained face.

"I'm sorry, Caroline. I'm so sorry."

There was a heavy silence and then his thumb was at the edge of her jaw.

"If you die, I'll…"

He didn't finish and she was glad. She didn't want to know what he would do. Kill everyone? Hunt Jesse down; make the world pay? She didn't want to know.

She felt her fingers begin to twitch.

"If I'd known he – "

But he stopped dead when she coughed.

"Caroline?"

His hands jumped to envelope her face.

"Caroline?"

She swallowed and licked her lips.

"God, how many times do I almost have to die of werewolf poison in this town?" she asked, doing her best to crack a smile.

He let out a massive breath he didn't know he'd been holding. "You're alive."

Her eyes danced over the raw relief on his face. "Because you saved me. Again."

His lips began to curve into a hesitant smile, almost as if he were unwilling to believe she was ok.

"And Elijah and Rebekah, of course," Caroline added.

"Glad to know I get some credit," an Australian accent came from the doorway.

Klaus turned to look. "And where's our brother?"

"He texted me when I was halfway there. He took Matt home."

He smirked, shaking his head as if he'd known they would be fine all along. Rebekah wanted to sock him in the gut but she turned to Caroline instead.

"I'm glad you're ok, Caroline," she uttered sincerely.

Caroline sat up, feeling the wounds in her chest heal. "Thanks, Rebekah. And thank you for saving me."

Rebekah shrugged as if it were no big deal but she hid a tiny ecstatic smile.

She didn't know if the other blonde was growing on her or exactly what else it could be, but earlier she had felt real fear for Caroline's life and now she felt truly glad that she hadn't died.

"So what happened to the attacker?" Klaus questioned.

"Elijah said he had gone when he woke up." At Klaus' frown, Rebekah explained. "He snapped Elijah's neck."

"Ah."

That's when Caroline realised she had information that they probably needed.

"Oh my god, I know him!"

Klaus turned to her, his brows creased. "What do you mean?"

"The guy, my attacker! I _know_ him. It was _Jesse_, from college. I told you about him, remember?"

Klaus nodded slowly, a small smile coming to him as he probably recalled that night, then his frown deepened.

"Why would Jesse attack you?"

Caroline shrugged. "I asked but he was bigger on the violence than the explanations," Caroline said, examining the damage those spikes had done to her dress.

"You have no idea whatsoever?"

"He only made it clear that it was about you. He said he wanted to kill everything you've ever cared about." She sighed. "But he wasn't very forthcoming about the why."

Rebekah frowned from her spot in the doorway. "Why would some random guy from Caroline's college have something against you, Nik? And who is he; how is he so strong?"

Caroline watched as Klaus seemed to be thinking over the same questions, but then he shook his head.

"We'll think about it in the morning. There are more important things."

* * *

Klaus walked into his bedroom to find Caroline sat in the middle of his bed, legs crossed in a juvenile position as she dried her hair into a towel.

She wore a tiny pair of sleep shorts paired with one of his dark green henleys. His pendant hung over the shirt, bobbing as she wrung out her hair.

She looked sheepish when she spotted him, discarding the towel.

"So I did my best to clean it all up, but if there's any blood left in your bathroom just, I don't know, send me the bill or something," she laughed, sounding ridiculous even to her own ears.

He wanted to reply, but she started speaking again, pulling a bit at his shirt that she was wearing.

"And I stole your shirt because Rebekah said she didn't have much here and ended up giving me these shorts and a completely transparent lacy camisole that I probably wouldn't even wear around my own house." She took a breath, shrugging. "Also, this smells like you."

He smirked at her rant, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"It's alright, love." Then he smiled a little. "Since when does my scent bring you comfort?"

She looked at him oddly, like he'd asked a stupid question.

"Quite a while now, actually," she responded honestly.

He wasn't sure what the resulting warm feeling that spread through his chest was but it was strangely peaceful. He liked it.

"Well that settles it, then: you're sleeping here."

Caroline grinned, happily pulling the duvet over herself. "Where are you gonna sleep?"

He shrugged. "The spare room I had prepared for you. That's if I find the need for a bed tonight," he admitted, standing up again.

"You should get some sleep, Klaus," Caroline spoke up. "Obsessing about it tonight isn't going to help."

He inclined his head, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, before turning to leave.

"Why did you keep saying you were sorry?" she asked, stopping him in his tracks.

"You heard that?"

"I couldn't move because he injected me with some kind of paralytic but I was still mostly conscious," she explained.

His back was unmoving and he remained silent.

Caroline sighed. "Klaus, this wasn't your fault. And I'm fine."

He still didn't reply at first, but then he turned back toward her, a small thoughtful smile on his face.

"You looked truly breathtaking tonight, Caroline. Like royalty."

Caroline smiled, the praise warming someplace deep within her.

"Good enough for a king?" she joked, grinning.

"Of course," he said matter-of-factly. "You need only find one who's deserving."

Caroline rolled over, settling in to the hybrid's comfy bed, surrounded by the smell of him.

"No need."

* * *

**A/N**

Wowee, things happened!

Props to you if you caught Caroline using Klaus' canon words (_he_ also used _her_ words from a few chapters ago). He's really in her head, huh? Also props to you if you caught me criticising The Originals. Muhahaha.

Was anybody surprised by it being Jesse after Elijah's description at the beginning of the chapter? Remember when Caroline and Klaus talk about him in Chapter 14? I'm sly, aren't I? Yip, it was important for Klaus to know who he is. _Foreshadowing_. Is anybody completely confused about why on earth and how it _is _Jesse though? Don't worry, you're supposed to be :)

One thing I think is important to notice about this chapter is that Caroline was ready to kill Jesse. Not break his neck and get away or some other plan like that, but she was literally prepared to rip his head off at one point. #DarkCaroline

Also important, I'd say, would be Rebekah saving Caroline's life. I think she was invested far beyond it just being about Matt. I mean just that tiny smile after Caroline thanks her :) #Rebekoline (told you guys all good friendships start with a little murder!)

Heh, I'm betting Matt played a pretty big role in holding Rebekah up so she couldn't go meet Caroline ;)

The title of this chapter makes me giggle a little because only after having written it and describing Caroline's dress as being black and tulip-like, did I find out that black tulips represent death. Cheers to happy coincidences!

Yayyy the plot stuff is mostly over for now! Now comes all the almost purely Klaroline goodness again :)

Lyrics are from _Decode _by _Paramore_.

P.S. I _love _all you guest reviewers and value your opinions, just remember that I have no way of replying to y'all (sometimes I get questions and it makes me uncomfortable because I really really wanna reply but just have no way of doing so)!

To readers who follow me

I cannot get Klaroline off my brain and as a result I'm coming up with new stories to write like almost every other day. It's overwhelming because I have this story to finish and its sequel and a whole lot of other daily life and college crap to get through, lol. But right now I am working on a one-shot that takes place 5 years after 5x11 and after that I want to write a one-shot that I came up with yesterday which also, like this story, takes place pre-S5. I also want to write a Supernatural/Bloodlines/Klaroline crossover as my first crossover fic but that will take a while to get around to.

_As for the sequel to this _most of you told me that you really wanted it so I'm very very inclined to write it but… haha I'm in such an awkward position because it's difficult to explain how different the sequel would be in terms of format and plot to this one. Thus I've decided to leave the actual decision until after you guys have read Chapter 30/the teaser and hear what you guys think _then_.

Ok that's all love you byyyye.


	24. Chapter 24

Ahem, can I just have this moment to thank all my story followers? I don't know, I just feel a bit choked up at the fact that a few months ago I hardly let anything I wrote reach the light of day and now I have 250 of you waiting for something I've written every week. It boggles my mind and all those other stories I have up on my page? Those are up there because of the confidence you guys have given me that my work isn't total garbage (no seriously, my personal laptop plus all my individual documents of writing are password-protected, that's how determined I am for nobody to see them)! So thank you :)

_*Giulia your wish is my command.*_

* * *

**Chapter 24: Inhibitions run low**

_Do you feel the way I do_

_right now?_

_I wish that we would just give up_

_Because the best part is falling_

_Call it anything but love_

"Hi," Caroline answered her phone.

"I didn't see you leave this morning," Klaus noted and Caroline grinned.

"Guess that means you got some sleep after all, huh?"

He smirked. "I only did it for you."

Caroline was speechless for a moment, reminded of the night he'd said something similar.

_It was all for you_.

"Uh, well, I had to sneak out at the break of dawn so I could sneak back into my own house," she managed to explain.

All the sneaking around was thanks to the fact that she hadn't planned on sleeping out – or nearly dying, for that matter – so she hadn't warned her mother about it.

"Ah," Klaus agreed.

"Did you have any luck on Jesse?"

Klaus sighed. "A contact of Elijah's checked him out. According to Jesse's records, with the exception of having lost his parents to a car crash at the age of 15 and subsequently being taken in by his aunt, he has led an entirely ordinary life. Not a single thing to allude to a supernatural vendetta."

"And you still don't know who he is?"

"Haven't the foggiest, love."

She smiled a little, maybe because of his adorable British lilt or maybe just because at his voice; somehow neither ever seemed to lose its novelty.

"Great," she said sarcastically.

"We'll find him, sweetheart."

Caroline eyed the load of laundry she'd been sorting then flopped backwards onto her bed, pulling her phone in even closer to her ear as she pulled herself into the foetal position.

"Is it weird that you're the one I'm worried about?" she asked suddenly, surprising them both with her frankness.

There was silence on the other end of the line and the slight crackling unnerved her. She squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for his reply.

"I am immortal," he finally said.

She laughed. "It's not that. I mean, on some level I guess it kind of is that, but it's not _only_ that."

"Then what is it?" he whispered.

Her eyes fluttered open and she stared straight ahead, considering.

"I don't know," she confessed.

He sucked in a breath and she closed her eyes again, savouring that sound too.

Everything about Klaus thrilled her; there wasn't any point in denying it anymore.

Klaus thoughtfully rubbed a thumb over the beads he had found on his bed a few minutes ago, placed atop his shirt which Caroline had neatly folded.

He wasn't sure where this conversation with her was going. Then again he never really knew where anything with Caroline was ever going.

"Will I be seeing you this afternoon?" he asked.

She had called off their last two lessons and he wasn't sure how he would react if she did the same today. He had barely spent any time with her yesterday which was unfortunate considering what had occurred between them two nights ago.

And for all his genius planning abilities, he couldn't think of another way to get her here today.

"Yeah, of course."

* * *

"Caroline would you mind explaining why there are half a dozen people just standing outside our house?"

"They're vampires," Caroline began explaining.

"I guessed as much," her mother retorted, a hand on her hip.

"Ok, well, they're part of Klaus' stupid protection detail," she lamented.

Liz's mouth pulled into a non-negotiating line. "It looks like we're starting a cult, Caroline."

_Definitely don't tell her about all the rest of the vampires hiding in the trees._

Still, she couldn't really claim that her mother was overreacting either. It _was_ kind of freaky when you pulled up to the Forbes household, or drove by, and saw ten people just staring at you morbidly as they suspiciously checked you out.

"I know it looks a little creepy, but…" she trailed off, shrugging.

Suddenly her mother's eyes narrowed. "Are you hiding something from me?"

_Crap_.

"No! Why would you think that?"

"Because two days ago Klaus had three vampires protecting you and now it's three times that!"

"Um… he got more paranoid?"

Liz glared. "Caroline, stop treating me like I'm an idiot."

Caroline bit her lip nervously. Telling her mother about Jesse's attack would only cause her needless worry. And that was best-case scenario. Worst-case scenario was her mother trying to get involved in everything and ending up getting hurt. Caroline couldn't go through what had happened with Silas again.

Besides, she trusted Klaus to get to the bottom of all of it so that nobody would have to find out until it had all blown over.

So she decided to do what she did best: go on the defensive.

"Look, Mom, I don't pretend to understand Klaus and whatever he does, ok? And I try not to question his weirdo reasons for anything either."

Her mother looked unsure so Caroline played her trump card.

"Besides, what happened to not being able to disagree with me being kept safe?" Caroline asked with an indignantly raised eyebrow.

Her mother sighed, relenting just as Caroline had predicted. Her gaze flicked to the floor then up at the other blonde again, her face softening.

"He really does care about you, doesn't he?"

Caroline faltered, about to formulate an answer, when her phone went off. She smiled apologetically and Liz nodded in understanding.

She was about to make her way back to the room she'd been vacuuming before Caroline had arrived, but she paused in the doorway for a second.

"Maybe I was a bit too harsh about him the other day," she said, then left.

Caroline stared at the spot her mother had vacated with a little text then glanced down at her text. It was from Elena.

**Carpooling again tomorrow?**

Caroline stared at her phone first in confusion then irritation.

Typical Elena, trying to brush everything that had happened between them under the rug. Even if she had planned on going back to Whitmore, she wasn't sure she'd have wanted to spend the hour and a half long drive awkwardly making small talk with her best friend who apparently now thought she was a monster.

She typed her reply quickly before shutting off her phone, not wanting her brevity to spark a phone call that she so didn't want to have to deal with right now.

**Not going.**

* * *

After knocking and waiting twenty seconds, Marilyn put her shoulder to the elaborate front door and pushed it open.

She heard voices coming from not too far away.

"To our last lesson," she heard a British voice pronounce a toast.

There was a female laugh and Marilyn smiled hopefully. Maybe she had the right place after all.

"Hello?" she called out, her voice echoing through the mansion.

The blonde she was looking for stepped into the foyer curiously, followed closely by possibly the hottest guy Marilyn had ever seen.

Caroline decided to handle the human, smiling brightly. "Hi. Can we help you?"

"Uh, yeah. You might not remember me, Caroline – I was one of your reserve flyers? Marilyn," she reminded the other blonde.

Caroline cocked her head, trying to place the younger girl's face. After successfully having done so, she grinned.

"Right! _Marilyn_. What are you doing here?"

"I _really_ need your help. I went to your house and then to the station and your mother suggested I try looking for you here."

Caroline frowned. "Ok, what do you need help with?"

"There's this party…" Marilyn started with huge worried eyes as she bit at her lip.

Klaus shook his head in amusement. For a moment he'd actually believed that there was some real life-or-death emergency.

"I'll be in the kitchen," he told Caroline.

Caroline nodded distractedly, looking at Marilyn interestedly. "What's wrong?"

"Well I'm not really sure how it happened but I'm the team captain and I have this massive welcome back party to arrange to raise funds for the squad and suddenly I feel like I'm in way too deep."

Caroline grinned. _Amateurs_.

"Marilyn, the first thing you need to learn is how to delegate."

"All the people on the team that I trust are out of town for the holidays!" she pouted.

"So you came to me?"

Marilyn nodded like it was the obvious choice. "Caroline Forbes, the legend at planning pretty much anything is back in town – what else was I gonna do?"

Caroline preened proudly. "In that case let's go sit down and talk about whatever issues it is you're having."

Marilyn sighed deeply in relief, following her blonde counterpart into a pretty awesome lounge.

"By the way, who was that guy?" Marilyn asked in a hushed whisper.

"Klaus Mikaelson," Caroline answered, demurely sitting down. "This is his house," she gestured.

"No way," Marilyn breathed, looking around in amazement. "He is so _hot_. Is he single?"

Caroline frowned at the cheerleader opposite her, her eyes narrowing. "Nope. He's married."

Marilyn's eyes widened. "Are you serious? I didn't even see a ring," she complained.

Caroline shrugged. "Him and his wife are those New Age-ey types, they don't need rings to symbolise their bond, blah blah blah," Caroline said, faking an eye-roll.

"Ugh, what a bummer," Marilyn responded. "Hey, you're still with Tyler, right?" she asked suddenly.

Caroline eyed the girl for a moment, weighing up her answer. _Was she?_

She cleared her throat.

"Yeah. Yeah, I am."

* * *

"So just stick to what we talked about and everything will be fine," Caroline re-assured Marilyn as she saw her out.

"I will, I promise," Marilyn replied, looking incredibly relieved.

"And if I even _hear _that there were multi-coloured streamers at a party _I_ helped to plan, I will personally use every last shred of control I have left in that school to make sure you never throw another bash again. Understood?"

Marilyn stared up in fear at the blonde before her who had gone from helpful peer to threatening and super scary control freak in 0.2 seconds.

"Y-yes."

Caroline smiled sweetly and folded her arms. "Good."

She watched the other girl hurry out before spinning around in satisfaction. Only Caroline Forbes could plan a rocking high school party in twenty minutes without even being a high school student anymore.

She growled when her good mood was instantly interrupted by Klaus blocking her way.

"Bit harsh, wasn't that?"

"Everybody knows streamers are tacky," she retorted.

Klaus smirked, hardly hiding his agreement. Then a small smile escaped.

"Married?" he asked simply.

Caroline opened her mouth before closing it speechlessly.

Then she scoffed. "Shut up! It was the first thing that popped into my mind."

"_Married_," Klaus repeated distastefully.

"It's not like you were even interested!"

Klaus shrugged. "I wouldn't say that. She was a bit like a younger, blonder, more sane version of you," he taunted.

Caroline gasped then glared at him playfully. "You take that back."

"I don't even look old enough to be married," he continued his grumbling, ignoring her.

She squinted at his face pointedly. "Yeah you totally do. You look, like, thirty _at least_."

Klaus' jaw dropped. "You realise I'm only – "

"Hey! Don't ruin it. Girls like really old guys," she grinned evilly.

With an amused shake of the head he realised that she was only mocking his age to get back at him for his comment.

He was opening his mouth retort when Caroline's phone went off. She pulled it from her pocket then frowned down at it and sighed heavily.

"It's Tyler. He's at my house."

"So now he's brow-beating you into seeing him?"

She glared at him, then at her phone.

Klaus was right.

But still. It was about time she faced her own boyfriend.

"I should go."

Klaus sighed. "Come on. Stay."

She hesitated and he took his opportunity.

"You still have to finish your iced tea."

Caroline bit her lip uncertainly. What she really wanted to do was stay, but from the determined tone of his text she had the feeling that Tyler was going to be staking out her house if she didn't go meet him.

"Tyler and I have to talk at some point. The sooner the better."

She could tell he didn't like her choice but he nodded, not putting up any more of a fight.

She nodded awkwardly too, before offering him a small even more awkward smile and making her way out.

* * *

When she pulled up to her house Tyler already stood outside his truck as he waited for her, seemingly annoyed.

"Hey."

"Hi," she replied curtly, walking straight past him and onto her porch.

"What's with all the vampires?" Tyler asked, explaining his annoyance.

"They're Klaus' – they're keeping watch over me."

"Are you going to tell me what kind of trouble you're in?"

She looked at him for a few seconds, considering.

It was a surreal experience. He still looked exactly the same but she felt like she was standing in front of a stranger.

"No. Just… just say what you came to say so you can leave."

He looked hurt and his jaw clenched but he nodded. "Are you at least gonna invite me in?"

"Nope."

Tyler looked around awkwardly at all the vampires standing at alert, half watching their interaction, the other half staring at the road.

"Ok, um… maybe I should start with Hayley," he suggested.

"That's fair," Caroline replied, folding her arms.

"Care, there is _nothing _going on between us, I promise you." He sighed. "I've been helping her out, helping her sort out a life for herself. She doesn't have any money or friends or family." He winced. "Which is why I was at the mall with her the other day – I was buying her some stuff."

Right. Tyler had come into a lot of money after his parents' deaths. Still, his explanation didn't exactly cover everything.

"Thanks for explaining that. Two days after the fact," she snapped sarcastically.

He folded his arms too. "I thought I'd give you some time to cool off."

"Hmmm," she agreed, though they both knew that she didn't buy it. "Well do you think you could explain how exactly you went from hating Hayley for betraying you – resulting in the death of twelve fellow hybrids and your mother – to buying her underwear?"

Tyler's eyes pierced into her own and for a second she swore she glimpsed hatred there.

And maybe that was fair too. She had brought up his mother.

But it was the truth. If Hayley hadn't betrayed them then those hybrids and Carol Lockwood would still have been alive. At the time Caroline had even accepted sacrificing Klaus for the plan but Hayley had gone and messed everything up.

Tyler gritted his teeth. "She told me why she did it. She just wanted information about her parents. It was all that… Professor Shane's fault, he manipulated her."

"You mean the way she manipulated you?"

Tyler sighed again. "Care, she's just another werewolf who needs help." He shrugged. "And I have the ability to do that. I owe her that; I mean she helped me through one of the hardest times of my life."

"It's funny, I always thought I was what got you through it," Caroline replied bitterly.

Tyler frowned as he placed his hands firmly on her arms. "I _did_ it for you. But _she_ was there for me."

Caroline stepped back and out of his grip, turning her back to him. "What about your plan?"

Tyler hesitated, taking another look around. "I'd rather not talk about it here."

She gritted her teeth. "Fine. Then just tell me if it's still on or not."

For the few seconds that he didn't reply she really held out hope. That for once he would put her first. Every agenda, every stray werewolf, every needed roadtrip always came before her, but for one second she hoped that maybe this time would be different.

Maybe he'd abandon his plan of trying to separate her from her mother.

"Yeah," he muttered, at least having the good sense to sound ashamed about it.

Caroline's knuckles whitened around the ledge before she nodded once, visibly.

She turned to enter her house without looking at him again, but he grabbed her arm.

"There's something else."

"Save your breath, Tyler. I can guarantee I'm not interested."

"I'm leaving again."

Her eyes flickered up to his in surprise. Great, now he was breaking his promises too.

"So much for things going back to normal, huh?"

He cast his eyes downward guiltily. "It's important."

"Everything is," she responded, forcefully pulling her arm away to make her way inside.

"Care."

Something in his tone stopped her.

"I need you to know that I love you."

Caroline turned on her heel, slowly. She twisted to face the man who had, for so long, been her one true love. And she tasted the words on her tongue.

_I don't want to be with you anymore, Tyler. I know you think that you need me, but I just can't do this anymore. I'm not in love with you but somehow all this still manages to hurt and I'm sick of it. I'm sick of coming last. This relationship has been broken for a really long time but I think it's time I made it official._

_I'm breaking up with you._

"I always will," Tyler finished, his dark brown eyes large in sincerity.

And, _damn her,_ she could only muster half of it as she looked him steadily in the eye.

"I can't say the same."

* * *

Nik was brooding on a sofa when Rebekah entered the mansion in a bright sundress.

"Thought I'd find you here. You know, it's a wonderful day outside."

"That's why I'm in here," he replied.

Rebekah sighed, nearing her brother. "I know I haven't earned the right to speak in this house yet, but if you want to talk about whatever is _clearly_ bothering you, I could do a good job of listening," she offered hopefully, smiling.

Klaus looked up at his sister suspiciously. "Why would you want to do that?"

"An assortment of reasons, really," Rebekah confessed. "I mean for one, I just really do not understand you and Caroline, which I'm assuming your mood is about, at all. But also I'm just really sick of you being mad at me," Rebekah pouted.

"_You_ were upset with me for _nine months_," Klaus pointed out.

"Yes but it's no fun when you're mad back."

Klaus didn't reply and Rebekah eyed him slyly.

"Besides, considering I saved her life after you threatened Matt's life, I think we should call it even, don't you?"

Klaus only glared – naturally his sister would leave out the part where she had almost killed Caroline.

Rebekah stepped closer, putting on her whiny little-sister voice. "Come on, you used to talk to me about these things all the time!"

Klaus scoffed in amusement. "One thousand years ago?" When she didn't say anything, he smirked. "You gave terrible advice."

"I gave terrific advice," she countered, "_Tatia _was terrible. She constantly had you and Elijah fighting over her."

He rolled his eyes again, silently stretching his legs out over the couch as he reclined.

Rebekah huffed. "Fine, then I'll just go read a book or something."

She'd only made it to the base of the staircase when he spoke.

"She isn't in love with him."

She was back at the sofa in a flash.

"Caroline?" she asked in disbelief. "She doesn't love Tyler? How do you know that?"

"She told me," he replied simply.

Rebekah looked back at him with wide eyes. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"So why doesn't she just break up with him, then?"

"Because the last time she tried, she ended up breaking up with me instead," he said in annoyance.

_Okaaay, whatever that meant._

It was becoming clear to the female Mikaelson that whatever was going on in this strange little love triangle was far more complex than she'd even begun to suspect.

"So then is she in love with _you_?" she couldn't help asking.

"No," came his immediate reply. "Don't be ridiculous."

"How do you know?" she asked again.

Klaus cocked his head. "You're my sister and you can't even stand me."

Rebekah pursed her lips then dropped down on top his legs in lieu of sofa space, earning her a glare. She ignored it.

"Fine, then what exactly is the problem? Why are you brooding?"

He continued his glaring. "I'm not _brooding_."

She eyed him for a second, then smiled triumphantly when she realised the source of his annoyance.

"You're not patient either."

Though she would be hard-pressed to admit it, if there was one thing Rebekah Mikaelson knew extraordinarily well, it was her brother.

Klaus shifted, rendered uncomfortable by her words, before relenting to an explanation.

"I've done everything I can think of and yet I cannot fathom where we are going, if anywhere at all. I've told her I would wait for her, I worked to earn her friendship, I came back here, I allow her to keep me on the sidelines as around her friends she pretends to hate me." He shook his head helplessly. "And each time it seems as if we are at the threshold of getting somewhere, she pulls back."

Rebekah looked at him, feeling pity well up for him in spite of herself. She considered.

"Well does it all even matter if you're so sure that she doesn't and cannot love you?"

Klaus stared at his sister for a few seconds as he mulled over her question.

He remembered being at that hotel with Caroline with crystal clarity. The dream he had given her; how he could've had her, for the night, but the desire for something else – something deeper – had proven too strong.

He had given up in the absence of a commitment, but then he'd had the luxury of being able to turn her down. Things had changed significantly since.

Caroline had almost died.

He'd helplessly watched her body as her mind slipped away. He'd found his own consciousness whirling around how he would get his revenge, how he would destroy each and every person who had ever dared lay a hand on her. He had found himself contemplating how he would feel, surrounded by the ash of the universe, as he dug for his black soul; for a way to live without her.

But she had lived.

Caroline had sputtered back to him despite life's cruellest grudges.

And now he felt even more desperate to have her than he ever had. Every moment with her light was a gift he couldn't be sure he would be receiving again.

He would have liked to believe that he was now willing to share her with Tyler if it was what would please her, but that wasn't the truth. He wasn't anywhere near noble enough for such selflessness. Besides, the truth was far simpler.

_The truth was that he would take whatever Caroline Forbes would allow him._

He looked away then, as if ashamed by his answer. "I'll take what I get."

For a second it pained Rebekah to know that he thought himself so incapable of being loved that he would accept a woman who didn't reciprocate his feelings.

Then she scoffed. "I truly don't understand it, Nik. What _is_ it about her?"

He eyed her for a few seconds and when it became clear that her question had not been rhetorical, he sighed.

He mind turned to his time with Caroline, how he treasured each moment with her because each was different though they always made him feel the same.

He looked off, struggling to find the words that could possibly encompass all that she was; everything she meant to him.

"She's intelligent and honest in the most disarmingly beautiful of ways. She knows when she deserves a compliment but still seems so astounded when it comes her way." He laughed in spite of himself. "She's slightly neurotic and completely obsessive to the point of perfection. When Caroline sets her mind to something, she has to accomplish it." He sighed heavily. "She understands every shattered part of the man I am yet still challenges me to be better. She makes me laugh and desire happiness." He turned to face his sister again, looking straight into her eyes which matched his own so closely. "I feel… peace when I'm with her."

Rebekah stared back at him, her jaw having gone slack.

"Oh my god. Elijah was right. You really _are_ in love with her," Rebekah said with wide eyes.

Even after having seen Caroline talk him down from daggering her, even after seeing his reaction to her almost dying – after all of it, Rebekah had been unwilling to believe. Perhaps because after all this time he'd convinced them all that he was incapable of such feelings. Perhaps it had been easier for her to keep believing that his heart truly was hard and cold.

Besides, how did you recognise something you had never seen before?

Only now, after watching him struggle with himself and dig to find the words, it was unmistakeable. He really was in love with Caroline.

Rebekah watched him closely, pretending not to be as shaken as she felt.

He ran a hand through his hair with an annoyed grimace on his face, not denying her statement, and Rebekah couldn't help smirking. He seemed tortured.

"Well, how does it feel?"

"About as painful and crippling as I'd imagined," he admitted, and Rebekah couldn't help it, she threw her head back and laughed.

"Welcome to the rest of the world."

"Well?" Klaus asked, hands splayed.

"What?" she asked in confusion.

"I believe I was promised advice."

She smiled, happy that he was taking her up on her offer after all, then took a few long moments to think his situation through carefully

"Perhaps the issue lies with you doing _too _much."

Klaus sighed, shaking his head. "Just as I remembered: _terrible _advice."

Rebekah smacked him again. "I'm serious! Maybe you just need to give her some time and space to think things through."

She studied him for a moment, noting the misery clearly etched all over his face.

"Maybe _you_ should think things through. Re-evaluate; re-discover your self-respect."

Then, catching sight of her wristwatch, she cursed.

"I'm meeting Matt for lunch. Promise you'll at least go out and see the sun?"

"Does it serve alcohol?" Klaus asked moodily.

Rebekah rolled her eyes and was halfway to the door when she turned back around.

"Sometimes it's difficult because you can be such an arse, Nik," she started, "but I _do _love you. Always and forever."

* * *

Klaus and his scotch had watched the sun go down from the comfort of his lounge and he felt slightly jittery.

At one point, per his sister's suggestion, he had indeed attempted going outside, but much like a stereotypical vampire, he'd found himself flinching the moment one of his boots had been touched by the overly cheery sunlight.

Thus in lieu of a sun-spilled frolic he had set himself the task of heeding Rebekah's other piece of advice: easing up on Caroline. Today they had mutually decided to put an end to her lessons, at least in the formal sense, which would hopefully make it easier for him to allow her her space.

So Klaus couldn't help groaning when his phone announced a text from the very blonde he was trying to evade.

The Fates were cruel.

**I need you.**

Klaus was still staring at the first text in confusion when another came through.

**At the Grill.**

Klaus considered both either ignoring them or replying that he was busy, but he instantly eliminated both options. Mostly because he had not yet really learned how one went about denying Caroline anything, but also because the very idea of her in danger wouldn't allow him to.

He had fifteen vampires following her every move but he still could never be too sure. Not with her.

He glanced at the texts again, which were clearly demands, before sighing and grabbing his jacket.

So much for Rebekah's advice.

* * *

She knew the moment he walked in.

Shooting him a coy smile over her shoulder, she silently appraised how good he looked in just a plain white top and dark jeans.

His leather jacket was slung over his arm like he'd grabbed it in a hurry and Caroline had to bite her lip to keep from smiling. He'd gotten here in precisely seven minutes, pretty much the exact amount of time it would take a speeding vampire to get from the Mikaelson Mansion to the Grill.

He was at her command.

"You look fine," he noted, a little crossly, when he got to her table.

"I never said I wasn't."

He placed his jacket on the seat opposite her but didn't sit down.

"No. You said you _needed _me."

"Yip."

His eyes narrowed and Caroline suddenly got the oddest feeling that he was annoyed to be here with her right now.

"_Why_?"

She sighed. "Apparently my mom's started even the new bartenders on vervain."

Klaus stared at her for a few seconds in confusion before the truth dawned on him.

"You asked me here so I could get you a drink?"

"That would be amazing," she replied with a bright smile as if it had all been his idea.

Klaus stepped closer to her, frowning. "What's going on here, Caroline?"

She met his gaze evenly. "Why does something have to be going on? I just need a drink."

"So much so that you made me come all the way down here to get it for you?"

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Look, I really don't need the lecture, ok? All I need is for you and your thirty-year-old face to get me a drink," she explained.

Klaus ducked his head, laughing in spite of himself at their little inside joke.

"I have money and you can even leave afterwards if you want. Just get me some drinks. Please," she added for good measure.

He exhaled heavily through his nose as he stared at her in that what-am-I-going-to-do-with-you way.

"Anything strong," she placed her order once she knew she had him.

He shook his head as he walked off toward the bar and she tried not to stare, but the effort was pointless.

The man just wore jeans way too well.

* * *

There were two things that stood in complete conflict in her mind.

There was Tyler whom, yes, she was so over but yet she found herself unable to say the words. Not because she didn't mean them or because she didn't want the epic mess of them to finally be over, but because… well, she really had no idea why.

And she hated herself for that. She hated that somehow Tyler had managed – _no._ She hated that _she _had entangled herself so deeply in their relationship for so long that now she found it impossible to extricate herself from it. She hated that breaking up with him meant unconsciously paying consideration to what every single one of her friends would think.

And then there was what _he_ would think.

And him in general. Because he was the second thing, of course.

Klaus.

She remembered thinking, the day after Christmas, about how much complication her promise not to let him go would probably cause. God, if only that Caroline could see the mess this one had gotten herself into.

She was freaking in love with one guy and dating another.

And the guy she was in love with… he drove her crazy. She literally couldn't control her thoughts when she was around him anymore. And when they weren't together she didn't even try.

Caroline bit her lip and looked up at the man in question as he made his way back with the drinks and ok maybe just the tiniest bit of scheming was going through her mind.

After he'd unloaded all the drinks he was capable of carrying, Klaus took a seat opposite her.

"Now would you like to inform me of what's going on?"

"Nope," she replied, reaching for a drink.

He grabbed her hand. "Caroline," he growled warningly.

"Ok, fine. I'll tell you," she relented. "But _clearly _I came here because I needed a drink so _would it be too much trouble_ if I first have one before we have that discussion?"

She glared at him steadily and eventually he dropped her hand with a sigh.

"Very well."

She downed the dark liquid quickly. There was the familiar burn in her throat as the alcohol singed its way down to her stomach, the bourbon knocking away her breath for a moment as her eyes teared up. It felt good.

She quickly knocked back another drink as Klaus watched.

_Right. Her plan._

"Ok. Before I tell you, you have to promise to do something."

His brows wrinkled. "Do something?"

"Yeah. Like a game."

"What happened with Tyler?" he asked bluntly.

She swallowed at the name. She needed a few more drinks for that one.

"Do you promise or not?"

He stared at her for a while longer, clearly considering whether she would be telling him anything if he didn't agree.

"Promise," he muttered, sounding like a man who was being coerced into something.

"Ok, so here's the deal: for every drink I take, you take three."

His frowned deepened at her unexpected announcement. "What?"

"You heard me."

"Are you feeling alright, Caroline?"

"You already promised," she reminded strictly.

He glanced first at her then at the drinks before them. He thought of his words to Rebekah that afternoon.

_Oh, Caroline challenged him alright._

"Are you trying to get me drunk, Caroline?"

She raised an eyebrow flirtily. "Would you have a problem with it if I were?"

He chuckled involuntarily and she smiled, glad that he finally seemed to be lightening up.

"So, I just had two. That means…"

"We need more drinks," he finished, and she giggled.

* * *

Klaus' head was light but also woozy, combined with utter regret for having drunk anything stronger than water during the day.

Still, he managed to retain his original question.

"Why are you here, then, love?"

She sighed, a tiny bit of air escaping through her nose.

"It _was _Tyler," she admitted.

"Unsurprising," he bit out.

"He's leaving again," she elaborated, swallowing.

"And this upsets you, because…?"

Her head dropped into her hands. "Because regardless of how I feel about him, he's still supposed to be my boyfriend! Doesn't that count for anything? Am I so pathetic that my own boyfriend, who claims to love me, doesn't even want to be anywhere near me?"

Klaus gritted his teeth. "_That's _why you're upset?"

She peeked at him over the tops of her fingers. "Yes," she said.

_No._

At this point it was all just spilling from her mouth and she couldn't even be sure what was true and what wasn't. Her face felt a bit numb.

"And I know, I _know_ I'm supposed to be over all that insecurity stuff but how confident can a girl be when her boyfriend would rather be out shopping for underwear with some other girl than pick up the phone to call her, or I don't know, stay in town every once in a while?"

Klaus' eyes narrowed. "So you're beating yourself up because Tyler is a pitiful excuse of a man who is incapable of keeping a woman happy?"

She couldn't help smiling at the way he'd so efficiently turned that around on Tyler.

Then she threw her head back, sighing. "You hate Tyler. Of course you're going to blame him."

"No, I'm blaming him because no man in their right mind wouldn't want to be near you, Caroline."

She lowered her head to meet his eyes but when she saw that he was staring solidly into his glass, she continued.

"Anyway. I cried for a bit then came here and realised that my mom's totally alcohol-blocked me."

Klaus shook his head in utter disgust. "He doesn't deserve a single one of your tears."

They stared at each other thoughtfully for a few seconds before Klaus smirked.

"Now you can go ahead and tell me the real reason you're upset."

"What?"

"You heard me."

Caroline narrowed her eyes at him but he only continued his intense gaze and she lost, looking away with a sigh.

"Fine," she admitted reluctantly. "That isn't it."

He continued staring at her, waiting, until she looked back at him with another sigh.

"I came _so_ close to breaking up with him and I'm not even sure what it was but, _again_, I couldn't do it and I'm just so…" Caroline fidgeted then fisted her hands against her eyes. "Frustrated by myself."

Klaus frowned, surprised by Caroline's confession.

"God, the words aren't even that difficult. I had them all planned out and then I just… choked." She laughed bitterly. "You must be so proud of the great, fearless vampire you trained."

Klaus hesitated. As much as she needed to rid herself of the dead weight that was Tyler Lockwood – which put encouraging her uncertain behaviour smack bang in the centre of the realm of idiocy – there was not a bone in his body which could allow Caroline to think that she was anything less than perfection personified.

"Caroline, I told you a long time ago that my goal has never been to change who you are. And who you are just happens to be someone who doesn't give up on the people she loves when they need her. And as frustrating as it may be, you love Tyler."

The words almost choked him to say but he extracted the power to say it from her admission which he kept tucked away, ready to be retrieved whenever he lost hope. Already it was like an old crumpled letter, but still he kept re-reading it.

_I don't think I'm in love with him anymore._

Caroline removed her hands from her face and looked straight at him, her eyes wide but unreadable. He wished he knew what she was thinking; how she felt about him.

The answer had come exquisitely easily when Rebekah had asked him if Caroline was in love with him, but now it dawned on him that aside from knowing that what she felt for him wasn't as profound as that, he had no idea how she actually did feel about him.

Despite admitting to himself that he was willing to share her with him, Klaus felt a deep desire to be some step ahead of Tyler – to be more than the friend she felt a reluctant familial love for.

Because he held on to each of her admissions as if it were the only things tethering him to life.

Maybe they were.

_I want you all to myself, Klaus._

_You are good enough._

_I like you, Klaus. I really really do. _

_I'm really glad we're friends._

_Klaus, I love you._

He would wait and work for a thousand years for her to say those words and mean them differently. For the moment he was still working on dealing with the disbelief that she'd said them at all.

He emptied the last glass of alcohol they had on their table even though it hadn't been his turn.

"I'll get some more," he said, jumping off and heading to the bar for about the tenth time that night.

* * *

"Coffee," Klaus announced when they go to her house and she collapsed onto the sofa.

"No thanks," she refused.

Klaus frowned down at her, angling his body toward the kitchen. "I'll put on a pot."

"If you want me to have coffee you're going to have to knock me out cold and insert an IV," she countered.

Klaus sighed. "Why must you be so stubborn, love?"

"Because the room looks really pretty when it's spinning," she joked.

Klaus smiled a little. "I know what you mean."

Everything was either blurry or moving slightly. He felt a little unsteady on his feet.

"Could I make myself coffee?" Klaus asked, teasing a little.

Caroline raised an eyebrow, playing a game only she knew the rules to.

"You _can. _Or you could come sit over here and we can watch the room spin together."

Klaus chuckled and crossed the room to her. "Who could say no to a proposition like that?"

He sat down and Caroline watched as he obediently leaned his head back to stare up at the ceiling. She took the opportunity to stare at him; to document freely her body's reaction to his proximity.

It took seconds for her face to flush; her body to heat.

Seeing his hand on the sofa next to hers, Caroline shifted over a little, reaching toward him.

She remembered that night, in the jazz lounge, how it had just been their fingers touching minimally and yet the moment was engraved in her memory; his touch imprinted on her skin.

Caroline moved her hand closer then, after a second of hesitation, started touching his right hand with her left.

Klaus stiffened instinctively when he felt Caroline's hand begin to caress his. Her thumb feathered over his knuckles as the rest of her fingers slipped into the nooks between his fingers.

Klaus swallowed, wondering what she was up to. She had been acting strangely for the entire evening and her current silent ministrations were no different, though definitely a step further.

Suddenly two fingers enveloped his index finger and began rubbing it, up and down. Over and under, up and down.

Klaus was about to ask what she was doing when her hand disappeared from his.

He took a short breath, relieved. Just being near Caroline was temptation enough – one he was supposed to be abstaining from – but her actively teasing him was far more than he could bear.

Then his eyes jumped open when he felt Caroline's cool breath near his ear.

"Caroline, what are you doing?"

He twisted his neck and saw her regarding him playfully.

"Uh, trying to kiss you?" she answered glibly.

He smirked. "You're intoxicated."

"Really? Too much to know what I'm doing?"

"Yes."

Her eyebrow shot up again, paired with a lazy smirk as she played her ace.

"You drank _way _more than I did. Three times more, remember? So if you're sober enough to protest then I'm sober enough to know what I'm doing."

Klaus turned his body fully to look at her in surprise. "You planned this?"

Caroline looked proud of herself. "One step ahead, right?"

He laughed a little, undeniably taken by her gall. She took it as encouragement, making the best of his turned face to brush her lips against his.

He pushed her away gently but firmly.

"Caroline – " he began to protest.

She ran a quick frustrated hand through her hair, brushing it out of the way before looking at him evenly.

"Klaus if you don't kiss me right now, I swear I'm going to go back to the Grill to find someone who will."

She watched his uncertain gaze, waiting for a reply, and when he didn't say anything she started pulling herself off the sofa.

Klaus wanted to curse in exasperation. Sober Caroline was probably crazy enough to follow through on a threat like that; there was no telling what this intoxicated and infinitely more uninhibited version of herself would do.

But giving in to her would be in even further contravention of Rebekah's advice… then again, it seemed as if all humans got this pass – wasn't he allowed to make reprehensible decisions when _he _was drunk?

As Caroline stood up off the sofa, Klaus reached out and grabbed her wrist, flicking his palm to bring her sprawling onto him.

He just had time to register the tiny satisfied smile on her face before they were kissing again.

_Again._

_Finally._

Klaus had almost forgotten how good it felt.

Her lips moved against his passionately as her hands groped his hair. She held his one leg between the both of hers as she rocked on him, deepening their kiss.

It was enough to distract him so that he hardly noticed her pulling off his jacket. She moved away, both of them breathing heavily, before smiling and dropping herself onto the sofa, pulling him down on top of her.

He took hold of her lips again, groaning into the kiss at the feel of her body beneath his.

He felt her nails at the base of his shirt and arched so she could pull it off him. She flung the white material onto the back of the sofa as he kissed her again.

He'd missed her lips. Their soft plumpness as they fought against his, generously opening to receive even more of him. Those same lips that insults, denials and uncertainties constantly poured from. It felt good to wring the perfect truth from them.

His thumbs pressed into her hip bones, earning a high whimper from Caroline, as the rest of his fingers splayed over the smooth skin revealed by her sliding jeans.

She wrapped her legs around his waist, the flat heels of her boots digging into the dimples on his back as her hands went to his buckle. He shook his head a little before crushing his body into hers, rendering her hands paralysed.

Her annoyed sigh swirled in his throat but it didn't matter. He still needed more of just _this. _He wanted to kiss her and drink her in and make this part last as long as possible.

His hands caressed her neck, wondrous at its softness. His lips soon followed, tracing a hot path from her throat down to the neckline of her top, before claiming her lips once more.

He was still on top of her hands, and she pulled away from him, shooting him a pointed look.

"Klaus."

He couldn't tell if it was a warning or a plea.

He decided to relent, though not in quite the way she wanted.

He ripped open her top, the hooks on it audibly disagreeing as the shirt fell to her sides in two.

Her thighs squeezed his waist when his hands feathered across her taut stomach; his lips kissing and nibbling the peaks of her breasts. She wore a snowy white bra; its implied innocence made him want to snort. He might have, too, if he weren't so impossibly distracted by the feel of her mostly-bare chest against his.

His hands were working around her back to release the clip there, scorching her middle as he went about it, and she knew. She was going to give herself to him because he was all she wanted; he was all she'd wanted for the longest time.

Was this the block she'd been feeling? Had his mouth and his hands and his body against hers been the key to eliminating her mental block all along?

Because she was ready. She couldn't stand another second of being with any other man when Klaus made her feel this completely undone; when he set her on fire like this.

Her and Tyler were over. She would tell him the next time she saw him.

She was arching her chest closer to Klaus' in the hopes of him getting her bra off faster when she felt his body freeze against hers.

Caroline watched him cock his head, once again catching something she couldn't. He gave her one last fleeting look before grabbing his top and jacket and disappearing with a whoosh.

Caroline blinked.

Then she sat up, wondering what on earth had just happened.

That was, until her mother walked in in full sheriff uniform.

"Was that _Tyler_?"

Caroline awkwardly tried to cover her chest before just giving up. At least Klaus had been too fast for her mother to see who it really had been.

"Uh… yeah," Caroline replied, annoyed.

"He could have said something instead of just rushing off," said an affronted Liz.

"Yeah, and how exactly would that conversation have gone? 'Hey, how was your shift, sorry you caught me about to have sex with your daughter'?"

Liz sighed. "I suppose you're right. Can you put your top on?"

Caroline looked at the remains of the top on the sofa and grimaced. Yeah, she didn't think that was going to be happening.

Besides, just looking at it made her mad. What the hell was her mother doing home? She had just been _so _close with Klaus. God, she still felt his lips on hers.

"What are you doing here?"

"I live here," Liz responded with a raised brow.

Caroline glared. "You know what I mean. You're supposed to be working tonight."

"Well I _was _working until I got a phone call from a concerned citizen telling me that my _underaged _daughter was drinking in the Grill with some guy."

Caroline groaned. "I am _so _sick of this town."

Liz ignored her daughter, folding her arms. "Caroline, you know I'm the sheriff. You can't behave in this way. I thought we'd gotten past all this a long time ago."

Caroline groaned some more, throwing up her hands. "Look Mom, I just needed one night out, is that such a big deal?"

"It is when people _call in_ to tell me that my daughter is drinking herself into oblivion and then I come home to find her having sex on my sofa!"

Caroline stood up, her temper rising too. "I'm not even in high school anymore! Can't this town just freaking lighten up on all its human rules?"

Liz frowned. "Human rules?"

"Yes! Ok, so big deal, I'm not 21. But that's a human law; _I'm not human_, Mom!"

"Well you chose to stay here in a town where everyone thinks you are, Caroline. Now you have to live with the consequence of that decision."

Caroline gritted her teeth, feeling the anger boiling in her veins. She closed her eyes and clenched her firsts, willing it to go away. As much as she enjoyed executing her new-found aggressiveness, she couldn't allow herself to take it out on her mother.

So she used a very human technique for dealing with a temper: counting to ten.

Caroline had gotten to twenty-five when she finally felt the all-encompassing rage dissipate and she was left with only with a dizzy head and a bitter hint of regret.

She wanted Klaus back.

When Caroline opened her eyes, Liz was still standing there, frowning at Caroline.

She cleared her throat. "I should get to bed."

Liz sighed but nodded. "Ok. Sleep well."

She doubted she would be.

* * *

**A/N:**

So I really hope you guys liked the scene between Rebekah and Klaus (I would pay good money to see Rebekah plop down right on top of Klaus' outstretched legs). Oh and, you know, that other sort-of important thing that happened this chapter.

Haha, I kid. So guys, it took me _24 _chapters to get Klaus and Caroline to an _actual real-life_ kiss so I'm just gonna take another moment here to commend you for your patience! Y'all are incredible readers. As for Liz walking in – in my defence, the last time I had Klaus and Caroline alone at her house, quite a few people had wanted Liz to walk in. So I giggled a little because I knew this was coming :)

I'm so excited for you guys to read the next chapter, it's one of my favourites.

Lyrics are, again, from _Distance _by _Christina Perri_.

P.S. If anybody wants to check out a video I made for college about being a fangirl, you can check it out on YouTube, it's called TV AFFECTS OUR LIVES :)

P.S.S. There's a sentence in this chapter that goes: "Klaus only glared – naturally his sister would leave out the part where she had almost killed Caroline." and before this last edit that had been "kissed". I just had to share that with you guys because it made me LOL. I'm so glad I edit thrice, you guys. Hehe but anyway it made me all giggly thinking about a situation in which Klaus would get mad at Rebekah for almost kissing Caroline. Hahahahaha


	25. Chapter 25

OH MY GOSH 500 REVIEWS you guys are amazing and I fangirled so much and have I mentioned I love you all? Because I totally totally do (I hope this 9 000-word chapter a day early illustrates that). Thank you guys for fulfilling my wish _early _I mean that is just too awesome, wow. I really look forward to all your other reviews as well because some pretty hectic stuff is coming up in the next few chapters (still writing Chapter 29 – over 10 000 words at the moment) and thus I'm also really excited to see how many reviews this story will have by the end of Part 1 :)

* * *

**Chapter 25: Hardly Delicate**

_We try to rid ourselves of our demons_

_but what if we just need to understand them, to realize_

_The demon controlling us is ourself,_

_and we cannot rid ourself from ourself_

_We can only accept the demons inside of us,_

_And maybe hold their hand one day_

Caroline's tongue lolled around her mouth, wetting it.

She felt awful. Her head was pounding a little but the worst part was that her body seemed to have adopted an agenda of its own, refusing her movement.

Caroline groaned and attempted lifting an arm.

She was rewarded for the effort by managing to reach her phone on the bedside table. Pcking it up, she sighed as she went through it, seeing all the confused messages from Elena.

Which drew her eyes up to the current time.

She groaned again. Why was life so cruel?

"Ok I have to go see Elena so whether you like it or not, we are getting _up_," she instructed her body.

It didn't seem like it wanted to comply and at 6:05 AM she couldn't really blame it, but she had to go see Elena before she left for Whitmore. She had a feeling Elena would force her way in here if she didn't.

Caroline managed to lift her head and was punished for the action by having all of last night's memories come rushing back to her.

Her practically extorting Klaus into kissing her. His hands and lips everywhere. _Her _hands on his buckle; his hands reaching behind her.

She squeezed her eyes shut and gritted her teeth in annoyance. Why did the moment always have to end right before he got her bra off?

Caroline's eyes widened when she realised that she'd actually just had that thought.

"Get a hold of yourself!" she screamed.

Dangling her legs off the edge of the bed, she rubbed her hands over her face and sucked in deep breaths.

As amazing as last night had been and felt, it wasn't right. It shouldn't have happened. If her mother hadn't walked in…

"Crap, crap, crap, crap."

She still technically had a boyfriend, no matter how awful he was being and how little time that would still be true for. Because as drunk as she'd been last night, in the harsh light of day the decision to cut Tyler loose still wasn't one she intended on going back on.

They were over but until she actually told him that, she had to place a mental boundary between herself and Klaus.

She rubbed her temples nervously as she considered, before reluctantly beginning to dial.

"Hey," she said as soon as he picked up.

"Caroline, I – "

"I just wanted to apologise," she cut him off.

Klaus frowned, rubbing a confused hand over his face.

Caroline's call had woken him and though he didn't require the recovery time that she'd needed in order to get her memories back, her words still left him nonplussed.

"I don't understand," he admitted.

"About last night. I'm sorry."

Klaus' frown deepened as he sat up in bed, running a hand through his hair. "Last night?"

He couldn't comprehend what she might possibly feel the need to apologise for. If anything, the onus was on him to beg her forgiveness for having taken advantage of her in her intoxicated state.

"Everything I said and forcing you to play that stupid game and…" she paused awkwardly, "making you kiss me."

"Caroline, that's not what – "

"And I guess I should thank you too," she laughed nervously.

Klaus rubbed a finger over his brow. It didn't seem like he was going to be allowed to contribute many words to this conversation.

"Thank me?"

"Yeah, god, you stopped me from making a fool of myself with some random guy at the Grill."

That made him smile. As if he ever would have let her go.

"Uh and also thanks for leaving when you did, I guess. My mom would… not have taken that well."

"I surmised as much."

Caroline drew a relieved breath. He was being pretty reasonable about everything. Granted, she hadn't really given him much time to speak, but she still felt like she had a bit more control of the situation now.

"Um, so thanks again. And sorry. I was _so_ wasted."

The line was silent on the other end and she frowned.

"So see you later then?"

"Later?" he asked.

"Well yeah, we said we'd still see each other even if we aren't doing lessons anymore, right?"

Klaus smiled down at the sheets. The relief that she was sticking to that deal sat almost tangibly in his chest.

"Of course."

* * *

She caught Elena right as she was about to head out, a bag slung over her shoulder.

"You driving yourself?" Caroline smiled.

Elena's eyes widened in surprise. "Caroline, hey! I was just on my way to you."

Caroline smirked. She knew her friend well.

"Yeah. We should probably talk," Caroline agreed. "I'm sorry I've been ignoring your messages."

Elena stuck her hands into her pockets uncomfortably. "No, I'm sorry, Care. I shouldn't have said the things I said," she apologised with downcast eyes.

Caroline sighed as she considered, then smiled widely. "It's ok, Elena, really."

And she meant it. With an impending breakup on her hands, the last thing Caroline needed was to be estranged from the rest of her friends too.

Elena looked relieved. "So, you what's up? Your text said that you aren't going to Whitmore – did you mean with me or not today or…"

"Not at all," Caroline finished.

Elena frowned. "Wait, you're deferring?"

Caroline bit her lip nervously. "Uh, kind of."

"For how long?"

"Fifty years or so?"

Elena's frown deepened. "I don't get it."

"I decided to wait a few more years before I go back to college," Caroline clarified.

Elena's eyebrows knitted together. "When did you decide that?"

"A few days ago," she admitted.

Elena was staring back at Caroline like she was some kind of alien and in all honesty Caroline couldn't blame her. The blonde had been talking about college non-stop since before graduation, and had planned her dorm's colour scheme before even starting high school.

"I know it's weird, but I've spent some time thinking about it. I mean I don't even seriously have my degree planned out yet," Caroline shrugged. "I kinda just realised that I have all the time and opportunity to go back once I have it figured out."

"So I'm going to be all alone?" Elena asked with a sad grimace.

The question tugged at Caroline's heart strings. Neither of them had to say it: Bonnie wouldn't be there for her either.

"I'm sorry, Elena." Caroline sighed guiltily. "You're going to be fine though; you made so many new friends. This is just something I need to do."

Elena still looked a little uncertain. "Is this about Tyler?"

Caroline couldn't blame her for thinking that either. The beginning of their semester had consisted mainly of Caroline sulking about Tyler not joining them at Whitmore while Elena comforted her.

"No," she asserted. "This is about me."

"Ok," Elena said, nodding slowly. "And there's nothing else you wanna tell me?"

Caroline was about to shake her head when she realised – she could finally tell someone. She hesitated but also felt excitement course through her body because this was it.

"Yeah, actually. Um… I've kind of been wanting to tell you this for a while now, but I have – "

_Feelings for Klaus. I have feelings for Klaus. _

She would have said it. But Stefan walked in.

"Elena, Katherine needs your help with something before you go," he sighed, then noticed the blonde. "Oh. Hey, Caroline."

Caroline smiled and nodded in greeting but felt frustrated.

She'd come so close.

Elena groaned. "With what this time?"

Stefan shrugged. "She was vague; some girl problem. She said you owe her since you're the one who turned her into a human."

Elena gritted her teeth. "You know, you'd think that at some point she might realise that the only reason I used the cure against her was because she'd been about to _kill me_."

Caroline almost laughed. She for one was glad that she didn't live in this house with two doppelgangers and two Salvatores.

Elena took a deep breath, calming herself down. "Just… tell her to deal with it herself. I have to leave soon and I'm talking to Caroline right now."

Noticing the disapproving look on Stefan's face, Caroline smiled sunnily at Elena.

"Don't worry about it. I have to get going anyway."

Elena frowned. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Go help Katherine," she grinned.

Elena rolled her eyes dramatically before smiling sadly. "I'm going to miss you, Care."

Touched, Caroline pulled her friend into a hug.

"I'm going to miss you too!"

They squeezed each other tightly until Katherine's voice from somewhere within the house, loud and demanding.

"Elena!"

Elena groaned dangerously and Caroline laughed, pulling away.

"I'll see you soon," Caroline assured.

Then she made her way out, carefully avoiding Stefan's eyes.

The last thing she needed was more questions.

* * *

Caroline took a breath of relief when she pulled up to her house and saw a familiar truck parked in the driveway.

"What are you doing here?" she asked out of curiosity when she'd climbed out.

She'd expected Tyler to have, as usual, blown out of town already, gone radio silent and then come back after a week acting as if everything was fine. His presence here now threw her off a bit.

"Came to say goodbye," he replied, smiling a little. "I'm about to leave."

"Wow, I get a goodbye," Caroline gasped sarcastically. "I actually thought you might have gone already."

He caught her hand with his own, rubbing it with his thumb. "I wouldn't do that."

She pulled her hand away immediately, looking him dead in the eye. "Where are you going?"

It was a shot in the dark but she figured she may as well attempt extricating an answer while he was pretending to be a good boyfriend.

But his face twisted. "You know I can't tell you, Care."

Her eyebrow shot up. "Do I?"

Tyler sighed. "I can't risk Klaus knowing anything."

"So what, you don't trust me now?" she asked indignantly.

"Of course I trust you, Care. But I just… I can't risk it."

Caroline was about to reply but froze when she heard a voice coming from his truck.

"God, how long is this going to take?"

It was Hayley.

Caroline glared at Tyler. "_Hayley. Hayley's _going with you?"

He started to reply but she was so over waiting for him and his excuses. She hardly cared anymore.

Still, she had a bone to pick with the brunette.

Before Tyler had had the chance to speak she'd sped over to the truck. Knocking roughly on the window, she glared at the woman inside.

"Get out!"

Shocked, Hayley backed up, but didn't move to open the door. Tyler sped up behind Caroline, laying a hand on her back.

"Care, calm down."

"Get the hell out here!" Caroline shouted, ignoring Tyler.

Hayley's eyes darted from Caroline to Tyler before she hesitantly opened her door and stepped out.

"Could you calm down?" Hayley demanded, flipping her hair over her shoulder in an attempt at nonchalance.

Caroline smiled sweetly, trying to hide the unparalleled fury running through her veins as it boiled her blood.

"Oh, that's right," she said, shoving Hayley into the truck roughly. "You don't do _teen drama_," she spat her words back at her.

"Care, come on," Tyler begged, now pulling determinedly at her arm.

But he was only a hybrid. She'd been up against far worse. His strength was nothing compared to Klaus'.

Still. His tugging was an annoyance.

She'd deal with him. But first…

She leaned into the insolent woman's ear, who still glared at Caroline pretending as if she wasn't scared; as if she couldn't see the demented black anger behind her eyes.

She pinned her body to the brunette's, paralysing her as she whispered sweetly in her ear.

"I'm curious: do you think you'll like the taste of your own blood gurgling in your throat?"

"Caroline!" Tyler admonished, his voice loud and panicked as it carried down the street.

Caroline faltered for a split second before speeding up to her porch and breaking a leg off one of the chairs.

When she'd sped back to the truck, Hayley was trying to climb back inside the truck but Caroline grabbed her by the neck, holding her securely as she shoved her hastily-made stake into Tyler's stomach.

His eyes were wide as he groaned in pain, his knees hitting the ground.

"Did I mention we're over?" she spat.

Tyler looked up at her with hatred burning in his eyes as he gripped the end of the stake lodged in his body. Caroline paid no mind, turning instead to the woman whose neck she was still tightly gripping. The brunette squirmed to no effect.

Hayley's words the night of the hybrid slaughter, right before she'd snapped Caroline's neck, came back to the blonde.

"_You're welcome_," Caroline smirked, shoving her hand straight into the brunette's chest before ripping it back out.

It was the first time she'd ever pulled someone's heart from their chest, and she watched with almost detached interest when Hayley's eyes first widened slightly in shock then sprang open completely and dulled as the life flickered away from them. She watched Hayley's jaw slacken and then regarded the heart in her hand and the warm blood as it dripped down through the spaces between her fingers.

Then Caroline stepped away, allowing Hayley's corpse to slump to the floor. Her eyes shifted to Tyler, who was busy pulling the stake from his body with a groan.

He'd screamed as her fingers had buried themselves inside his friend's chest cavity, but Caroline had hardly taken any note. Now she was struck by the realisation that she was holding Hayley's heart as he stared on in empty incomprehension and disgust.

She gave the organ one last squeeze before dropping it at his feet and whooshing away.

* * *

"Brother, what is the commotion occurring outside our home?" Elijah asked in confusion, entering the study.

Klaus tore his attention from the book he was reading to frown up at his brother, before directing his hearing outside. He immediately recognised his hybrid's voice.

"You stakedme; you _killed_ Hayley!" Tyler was screaming.

Klaus jumped to his feet as soon as he heard Caroline's voice.

"That tramp had it coming from the moment she snapped my neck. And I don't doubt that there are twelve hybrids on the Other Side patting me on the back right now," Caroline retorted calmly.

There were a few moments of silence as Klaus made his way downstairs, still keeping a close ear on this strange conversation. Caroline had killed the wolf?

"I'm glad you said it because I don't know who this cold-hearted _bitch _is that you've become, but I don't want to be with her anymore."

Klaus stepped outside as Caroline bit out a bitter laugh.

"Oh please, Tyler. The only reason we were still together at all was because you _begged_ me to stay with you, and you know it. Otherwise we'd already have gone separate ways two weeks ago."

Tyler looked about to counter, his face open in a snarl, when Klaus spoke up.

"Caroline, go inside, love," Klaus said softly, keeping his eyes on Tyler.

Caroline turned, surprised to see him standing there but immediately followed his instruction, speeding away even as Tyler reached out a hand to grab her.

"You're causing quite a ruckus outside my house, mate. Bringing down the neighbourhood," Klaus stated, descending his porch as he approached Tyler.

"This has nothing to do with you, Klaus. Get out of my way," Tyler spat, moving forward, presumably to go after Caroline.

Klaus smiled pleasantly. "Let me tell you how this is going to play out, Tyler. You're going to threaten me despite the concept of you killing me being completely laughable, never mind the fact that it would ultimately be suicide, then I'm going to threaten something you care about very much – which, believe me, I _will_ live up to – after which you'll leave with your tail between your legs."

Tyler growled, his eyes turning yellow. "Move."

Klaus' eyebrow shot up in amusement. It always entertained him how the hybrid couldn't see what a puppy he was in the eyes of the Original.

"I hear your wolf friend has passed; my deepest condolences. Pray tell, were the Mexicans worth it?" Klaus asked with a smirk.

Tyler's wolf features disappeared as he stepped back in surprise.

Klaus laughed. "You thought I didn't know? That's sweet."

Tyler stepped forward again. "You touch them and I'll kill you," he roared.

"And there's the threat," Klaus smiled, before his face twisted into a mask of evil. "For the way you treated Caroline today, those wolves are already as good as dead. All you have left now is saving yourself," he suggested.

Tyler's eyes flicked from the mansion behind Klaus to the monster himself and back.

"I'm gonna be back for her," he growled then sped off.

Klaus was torn between following the hybrid and going inside to check on Caroline; his hesitation earned him the loss of his window of opportunity.

Tyler was gone.

Klaus sighed in frustration and entered his home, where Elijah waited in the foyer.

"Caroline?" Klaus asked, ignoring his brother's concerned expression.

"She's in the kitchen," Elijah responded before grabbing Klaus by the elbow.

Klaus glared at Elijah before reluctantly stepping back to see what his brother's issue was.

"Did Tyler just issue a threat towards Caroline?"

Klaus sighed again, rubbing a hand over his face. That was precisely his problem at the moment.

"I'm not sure if it was a dangerous threat or a romantic promise," Klaus replied tiredly.

Elijah nodded curtly, understanding his brother's frustration, before frowning.

"He has been rallying wolves in Mexico?"

Klaus nodded. "I've been keeping tabs on it for quite some time now but I'm afraid their time has come. Send Mia."

Elijah inclined his head again, this time allowing Klaus to pass, just as a whooshing sound sped by them both.

Klaus ground his teeth together.

"Caroline."

* * *

Caroline swung open the Salvatore Boarding House's front door.

"Stefan?"

She walked further inside and was greeted by a smirking doppelganger descending the staircase.

"Good timing. I was just about to fix myself a snack."

"Where's Stefan?"

Katherine shrugged. "No idea. Nobody really tells me anything in this house," she confessed, seeming bummed about it.

"Great. Useless," Caroline complained, turning on her heel.

"Anything I can help with?" Katherine asked curiously, approaching.

Caroline frowned, turning back around. "Why would I want any help from _you_?"

Katherine rolled her eyes. "You obviously came here for _something_, right?"

Caroline narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the brunette. "Well why would you wantto help me? I killed you."

"That's true," Katherine said, nodding. "But I thought about it and since I killed you too, I figure we're even. Besides," she added, dropping down on a sofa, "do you have any idea how bored out of my mind I am in this house?"

Caroline couldn't hold back a smile. Katherine had placed herself on house arrest in concern for her own safety and since everybody inside it pretty much only tolerated her just enough to allow her to stay, it couldn't have been the most pleasant experience for her.

Still.

"I want to talk to Stefan."

Katherine smirked. "Why, what happened? Did you kill someone?"

She laughed at her own joke but her eyes widened in realisation when Caroline's expression didn't change.

Katherine gasped. "You _did _kill someone!"

"Forget it, I'll just call him," Caroline muttered, turning to leave.

She was almost to the door when Katherine spoke up thoughtfully.

"Unless you need someone to help you bury the body, you're obviously here to talk. Which means you did it on purpose or you wouldn't feel guilty."

Caroline paused in spite of herself. She found herself curious to hear what Katherine might have to say.

"Stefan's the Ripper," Katherine said in disapproval. "The only time he ever kills deliberately is when he's spiralling. Same for little Miss Goody-Two-Shoes, my inferior shadow self. But _me_," she smiled cruelly, "everything I've done, I've always done with my head screwed on properly. So," she started, putting her feet up on the coffee table, "if I'm right, then the best person to talk to would be yours truly."

Caroline's breath came quickly as she considered the other woman's offer.

Then she sighed before reluctantly she made her way back into the lounge.

"Fine, you're right," she admitted with folded arms. "I did kill someone. On purpose."

Katherine smiled triumphantly. "Anyone I know?"

Caroline hesitated and Katherine rolled her eyes.

"You know, I remember the first person I killed. Besides myself, of course," she began.

Caroline frowned, wondering where Katherine was going with this.

"The first person I killed, not because it served any real kind of purpose or even because I was hungry, but just because it felt good – Henry, I think. If I'm being quite honest, I don't even remember why I did it, maybe he messed up my coffee order. But I liked it," she said nostalgically. "I liked the way it felt to hold everything he was in my palm – his past, his future and his miserable little present. Then I ripped it away and…" Katherine grinned nostalgically, "it was the warmest kind of evil."

Caroline stared at the brunette solidly with a thoughtful expression before speaking up.

"Why are you telling me all this?"

Katherine shrugged. "Like I said, I'm bored. But if you think I have ulterior motives too, you wouldn't be wrong."

Caroline stared at Katherine questioningly and the brunette sighed as if the explanation were obvious.

"I get the feeling that there's more to you than meets the eye. More than the perky, cheery little blond bestie. I've seen the way Klaus looks at you. And considering he's the guy I've spent my entire life running from, I could do with someone on the inside. Someone who _might _just like me," Katherine admitted honestly.

Caroline sighed, meeting Katherine's eyes uncertainly. On the one hand, Katherine was using her. On the other, she'd clearly announced her intentions and at least half of them seemed pure. She had ulterior motives, yes, but she'd stated them upfront and Caroline found herself warmed by the gesture from the woman who didn't reveal her plans to anyone.

What was this; did they trust each other now?

"Hayley, that's who I killed. Tyler's werewolf friend."

Katherine's grin widened, anticipating salacious details.

"So jealousy really does make girls nasty, huh?" she teased.

Caroline glared at the brunette. "She deserved it."

Sensing that she wasn't going to be getting much more from the blonde, Katherine folded her arms in boredom. This had quickly gone from interesting to predictable.

"And let me guess: you're here because you feel just absolutely terrible and you want Stefan to hold your hand and take you to church so you can confess all your sins?" she mocked.

Caroline's eyes flicked up to hers, surprising Katherine with the cool detachment behind them.

"No. I don't feel terrible." Caroline rocked back on her heels. "I don't feel anything."

The smile slowly returned to Katherine's face, spreading wide as he interest mounted.

"Then maybe I can help after all."

* * *

Rebekah strode through the mall wondering why she even bothered coming here anymore. The speed at which they replaced stock was pitiful and their ability to keep up with the trends shameful.

Still, Matt had gone to visit the cemetery and while it was something she could've endured for him, he had entreated her to do something she'd enjoy instead. So here she was, trawling through Mystic Falls' pathetic mall and thinking about the people she herself had lost.

The list was endless, really, but the names of her family weighed most heavily on her chest as they rolled through her mind, an endless list of her past mistakes.

_Henrik, Finn, Mother, Father. Kol._

So many times she had trusted and gotten her heart broken as a result.

All she had left was Nik and Elijah. And though she owed them nothing, the nostalgia gripping her heart made her feel just the slightest bit guilty that she was paying no mind to Nik's dozens of frantic phone calls.

She'd stopped answering about six missed calls ago.

As much as she understood her brother's position, he also became unbearable when he obsessed. Furthermore, she was supposed to have been putting this town in her rearview mirror today. Instead she was stuck here for even longer.

Rebekah rolled her eyes and was about to pull out her furiously vibrating cellphone when she heard two familiar voices coming from one of the few decent stores in this place.

Entering the boutique, she quickly spotted the blonde and the brunette.

"Hmmm maybe you could've pulled that off if you had better legs," Katherine teased.

"Yeah, because your legs are so much better," Caroline shot back sarcastically.

Katherine smirked. "Friendly reminder that this body is identical to your best friend's."

"Yeah and Elena has terrible legs," Caroline replied stubbornly before they both burst out laughing.

"What in the bloody hell is going on here?" Rebekah demanded, approaching the two.

Katherine and Caroline shared a confused glance before Caroline spoke up.

"What do you mean? We're shopping, _duh_."

Rebekah wanted to rip the smug blonde's head off.

"Nik is worried sick about you! He's been calling you and calling _me _and just generally being a magnificent pain in the arse worrying about you and you're at the mall _shopping_?"

Caroline frowned. "Why's he worried about me?"

Rebekah shrugged. "Tyler's issued a threat of some sort and apparently none of Nik's vampires have been able to locate you so he's been going out of his bloody mind!"

Katherine's brows shot up in interest and Rebekah turned to look at her curiously.

"What are you doing here with her anyway?"

"_Shopping_," Katherine sounded out the word slowly. "One would think you'd have gotten that by now."

Rebekah glared at the brunette. "So you refuse to leave the Salvatores' at all, even with my brother, but have no problem going shopping with a two year old vampire?"

Katherine shot Caroline a quick look that Rebekah swore contained pride, then smiled back at Rebekah confidently.

"I happen to trust her."

This dynamic made no sense to Rebekah but wrapping her head around it wasn't at the top of her list of priorities right now. First she needed to get Caroline to Nik so that he could calm the hell down.

"We're leaving. Now," she ordered, staring at Caroline pointedly.

But the other blonde shook her head determinedly. "No, we're not. We haven't even paid for our shopping yet."

Rebekah narrowed her eyes at Caroline. "My brother just signed our house over to the bloody chef in order to vampire-proof it just to protect you from Tyler. _We're leaving_," she repeated.

Caroline's eyes widened when she heard the lengths Klaus had gone to to keep her safe. She knew how much that house meant to him, regardless of how superficial the ownership was.

But she folded her arms. "I said I'm not done."

Rebekah looked from Caroline to Katherine's unchanging faces and sighed.

"I'll pay for it all, ok? Then we'll leave."

Suddenly Katherine perked up.

"You should go. Klaus sounds really worried," she added, shamelessly adding her mound of clothes to Caroline's.

Caroline couldn't believe what a sell-out Katherine was but she couldn't help smiling at the brunette's obvious attempt at scamming free clothes.

"Fine," she finally relented.

* * *

"Bye, Katherine. Thanks… for today," Caroline greeted from inside Rebekah's convertible.

Katherine grinned, her arms loaded with bags.

"No problem. Let's do it again," Katherine winked before heading into the Salvatores'.

"You're welcome!" Rebekah shouted after her sarcastically.

She started up the car and pulled away then eyed her passenger curiously.

"How exactly did you manage getting Katherine Pierce to trust you with her _precious _life?"

Caroline snorted. "I killed her."

"Really?" Rebekah asked, not bothering to hide an impressed smile.

"Yip. Apparently that's what earns Katherine's faith in you."

Rebekah smirked. "Well I doubt Elijah's going to be trying that out any time soon."

Caroline hesitated to share her opinion then sighed. "I don't think it's about her not trusting Elijah. I think it's about Klaus."

"Why would it be about him?"

"Elijah's an Original. Obviously he can take anything that comes his way. But if it were _Klaus _who came his way… I'm not sure she knows where she'd stand."

"And she does with you?" Rebekah asked doubtfully.

Caroline shrugged. "I guess she believes in my powers of persuasion."

Rebekah didn't reply, only narrowing her eyes at Caroline's words. It reminded her of something.

"Hey, aren't you going to stop by my house?" Caroline suddenly asked with a frown.

"Where Tyler can easily get to you?" Rebekah retorted. "Why on earth would I do that?"

"Because if you're forcing me to stay at your house then I'm going to need some stuff."

"Such as?"

Caroline glared. "I don't know. Clothes, pajamas, a toothbrush?"

"We have plenty of spare toothbrushes at the house. And as for clothing, I believe I just bought you a car full."

Caroline glanced at the back seat, admittedly covered in clothing bags, and smiled – she supposed Rebekah had a point. Relaxing back into her seat again, she began watching the view whizz by as Rebekah drove them to the Mikaelson mansion.

"I know you didn't really mean your forgiveness the other night," Rebekah started.

Caroline turned to look at the other blonde.

"That's because you didn't really mean your apology," Caroline shot back.

Rebekah smiled slyly. "You're right."

Caroline hadn't really needed the confirmation but she nodded.

"Then why did you do it? Pretend to forgive me?"

Caroline sighed again. Wasn't the answer obvious?

"Because Klaus was going to dagger you if I didn't."

"Why would you care?"

Caroline looked at her lap, feeling uncomfortable with this line of discussion with Rebekah.

"Because despite what both of you seem to love telling yourselves, he needs you." Her gaze wandered to the view again "And _somebody_ has to stop Klaus from getting in his own way."

Rebekah shot a quick look at the blonde from the corner of her eye.

Perhaps Caroline was good for Nik after all. And perhaps she cared for him far more than he realised.

"But he was still going to dagger me," Rebekah reminded Caroline. "Before you used those _powers of persuasion_."

Caroline didn't reply and Rebekah huffed.

"You had to have done or said _something_. What was it?"

Caroline turned to the female Original uncertainly. She wanted Klaus' siblings to know that he cared, but she knew that he would take issue with them knowing exactly to what extent they were his weak spots. It had the potential of leaving him vulnerable to exploitation.

"I'd rather not say. Isn't the fact that he didn't do it all that matters?"

Rebekah inhaled deeply. "I suppose."

She pulled the car up outside the mansion and pushed open her door.

"I'll get the chef so he can invite you in and you can get comfy."

But she paused before climbing out, turning back to Caroline.

"You know, my apology may not have been real then but I truly didn't want you to die the other night. I'm glad that I was able to save you."

Caroline smiled brightly, wondering how she was forging the strangest of friendships today.

"I know, Rebekah."

* * *

Klaus finished his conversation with his sister, silently nodding his thanks.

He had already compelled the chef to leave and forget that he now owned a multi-million dollar mansion and now he had nothing more to do; nothing more to keep him from the inevitable confrontation. He felt uneasy and he had no idea why; no idea why he had deliberately delayed coming here.

But as he placed his knuckles to the door to plea for entrance, it dawned on him that perhaps he was afraid. Afraid that she would look at him with blame scrawled all over her ever-glowing features.

"Come in," Caroline called from inside.

He stepped into the spare room, painted a tasteful pale yellow, and immediately spotted her lying on top of the pastel blue sheets atop the King-sized bed in the centre of the room.

His steps were deliberately slow but eventually he made his way to her, and he lowered himself to the bed uncertainly.

She had pulled herself up into a tiny ball in the centre of the bed, her slight features as pale and beautiful as ever. But there was something different about her too. The word muted came to Klaus' mind as he regarded her still form.

She turned to smile at him. "I heard I got you in quite a tizzy today," she teased.

There was no hate in her eyes.

He sighed in relief then plastered a smirk to his face. That was their game.

"No different than any other day, really," he replied.

She laughed and pulled herself up, moving to sit cross-legged opposite him.

She wore those dreadfully short shorts that girls wore to bed these days. They were white and he couldn't help thinking of the last white item he had seen her wearing.

The light lace-edged camisole she wore was grey and looked more like underwear than sleepwear but he wasn't about to protest.

"Thanks for vampire-proofing the house for me," she offered.

He nodded, speechlessly accepting her gratitude.

"So what now, I just live here forever?"

His lips curved up a little at the typical feisty Caroline that that little question imbued.

"Until I find Tyler."

She only stared at him, neither accepting his answer nor refusing to stay.

"You let him go," she stated.

"I hesitated," he replied, shaking his head ashamedly. "I was foolish."

She pulled her knees up under her chin, regarding him with unreadable eyes.

"Don't kill him," she requested lightly.

His eyes flashed, wondering why she would ask that of him. Why she thought he would listen. Why he would listen anyway.

"What happened today?" he asked.

The entire sequence of events still confused him. After Caroline had left his house, he had called every vampire he'd had on duty watching her but not a single one knew of her whereabouts. Apparently Tyler hadn't been the only one she had surprised by rushing off to his house.

It had been hours before Rebekah had brought Caroline back, after having dragged her from the local mall with Katerina. None of it made any sense to him.

And then there was everything else that had occurred before she had even arrived at his house.

Her eyes held his steadily as she answered, unashamed.

"Tyler came over to say goodbye. He wouldn't tell me where he was going but he was nice enough to bring Hayley along," she said sarcastically, the re-telling causing her anger to mount again. "And I don't know what it was exactly, but she was just… there and her eyes were mocking me and I just wanted to wipe that smug smile off her face," she explained through gritted teeth.

"I ripped out her heart after staking Tyler. Then I came here," she finished lightly.

The idea of asking why she had come directly here occurred to him, but he buried it for a more immediate concern.

"After which you rushed away in order to go shopping with Katerina?" he asked in confusion.

She smiled a little. It _was_ a ridiculous suggestion.

"_No_. I went to the Boarding House to find Stefan."

"Stefan?" Klaus asked.

"Yeah. I – " she sighed, "I wanted him to tell me what an awful thing I'd done but that I was still a good person," she admitted.

Klaus shook his head. "Caroline, you don't need anyone to tell you that you're a good person."

She watched him for a few seconds then looked down at the bedspread, smiling shyly. "I think I mostly wanted to hear the other part."

Klaus considered her words then frowned. "You wanted him to tell you that you'd done something awful?"

She nodded vigorously and his frown deepened.

"Why?"

Her eyes still avoided his as her fingers fidgeted. "I didn't feel anything."

It came out as a whisper so she cleared her throat and repeated it.

"I didn't feel anything, when I killed her. I was numb."

She began pulling at the hem of her shorts distractedly and he saw the beginning of what had caused his hesitation to step into this room.

"I pulled her heart right out of her chest and I didn't feel _anything_."

"I'm sorry," he offered softly, mostly because he didn't know what else to say.

Her head shot up. "Why? This is what you wanted, isn't it?"

Her voice was hard but it didn't take him by surprise. He had been waiting for this – the blame and the guilt. He was glad it had come sooner rather than later.

No reply was forthcoming so she ducked her head again, the almost indistinguishable pattern on her shorts becoming an indistinct blur as she stared blindly.

She listened to his heart. It beat slowly and steadily like nothing ever surprised him. She supposed that came with living for a thousand freaking years and having seen and done it all. But, tucked beneath the thumping chambers, she heard the forgiveness that lay there for her too.

She hated herself for trying to make this his fault but of course, _of course_, he'd forgiven her already.

His breathing was calm too – its normal pace – and she found it odd that she even knew what his usual breathing pace was. That sitting in a bedroom alone with him, just talking, was normal.

Their thing.

Granted, this was his house instead of hers and there was a significantly larger amount of angst than their nightly meetings at her house had had, but still. This was them.

Except… was she still her?

Three weeks ago Caroline Forbes would not have ripped a heart from an innocent person's body. She wouldn't have staked Tyler. She wouldn't have defended her actions, even as Tyler _looked _at her like… like he'd never seen anything more repulsive in his life.

_That_ Caroline would have felt _something_.

Klaus wasn't sure that she was even aware of it, but Caroline began to rock. Back and forth; a simple motion, but one worrying enough to make his face twist in concern.

"Caroline, are you alright?"

He placed a hand on her knee. He remembered the first time he'd placed his hand there. On the rooftop of this very house, over ten months ago.

"Fine," she replied softly, but her voice broke a little.

So stubborn, as usual.

He looked around the room, searching for words that would make her open up to him.

She had sought Stefan and instead found Katherine. He couldn't imagine what the doppelganger had done or said, nor how much of a lasting effect it had had, but _he _wanted to be here for her now.

The way it should have been.

Because his heart clenched knowing that she had run from him in favour of Stefan. Perhaps she had thought that he would congratulate her; tell her he was proud of her, when what she had wanted was to hear what an awful act she'd committed.

He looked back at her, pursing his lips in desperation. "Caroline, there is nobody else in the house. Please just…"

He struggled then left the sentence unfinished.

Instead he wrapped an arm around her and for just a second it was magic because she came. Nothing to do with the supernatural or witches of any sort, but still magic nonetheless.

Their own sort of magic.

Because just as his arm settled on her back, she crept forward onto him until her cheek was flush against his chest, her fists clenching the material at the sides of his body.

His arm held her tightly to him, his other hand instinctively raised to caress her hair, stroking it much as he had that second time he'd fed her his blood.

He tightened his embrace when he felt the front of his shirt dampen and her nails dug into his flesh as she balled her fists.

"Klaus, she was innocent," she sobbed out. "Innocent. And I killed her."

He didn't say anything, lowering his face into her hair as he tried to encircle her body with his own.

"I don't – how don't I feel anything?"

They sat like that for a long time, Caroline crying into Klaus's shirt as he comforted her.

She breathed him in deeply – she didn't think there would ever come a time when that scent didn't make her feel safe and at home and… loved.

She remembered the first time she'd cried in front of him as he held her. PTSD in the middle of the woods with Klaus freaking Mikaelson. It had felt like the weirdest thing in the world, the big bad hybrid holding her as she freaked out because of some memory.

Now she felt like it was exactly where she belonged. There was nothing more natural or simple than this.

He comforted her. He held her. He cared when she cried.

And she didn't feel petty or dumb or even like he was above all this. She felt like they were in this together and that there was no place he'd rather be.

She took one last deep breath before pulling away, his arms reluctantly allowing the movement. Her eyes were dry but she still felt empty and confused.

"How could I do that?" she wondered aloud. "What am I?"

Not Caroline Forbes. Not the one everybody knew, not anymore.

His blue eyes stared deeply into her own and for once she couldn't read his face; couldn't predict his reply.

"A vampire," he stated simply.

She dragged her eyes from his, past his damp shirt and to her hands. The hands that had staked Tyler and ripped an innocent person's heart out of their body without a second thought.

"No," she said suddenly, her voice more certain than it had been for a while. "I've always been a vampire."

Klaus frowned as she took a deep breath, staring intensely at the man before her. The man who had given so much.

_There is only one way love cannot make you weak and that is by making the one you love as strong as you._

There was a fire behind her eyes when she spoke, a fire that maybe he had put there or maybe he'd taught her she had all along. She couldn't be sure and it didn't matter because she liked how it felt.

"Now I'm strong."

* * *

Rebekah frowned when she heard loud laughter coming from the kitchen.

Rebekah stepped into the offending room and watched as both blonds turned to look at her in surprise. They were seated at the kitchen counter and Rebekah scoffed.

"You know, I suspected that you two would be making a lot of noise tonight, but I confess I didn't think it would be _laughing_."

Both of them glared back at her.

"Thank you for cheapening the moment, sister," Klaus responded snidely.

Rebekah smirked. "Oh come on, Nik, we both know you're not that funny."

Caroline rolled her eyes but Klaus only shrugged before smirking.

"I'm not. But you are."

Rebekah frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"Well I was just telling Caroline about the counterfeit art peddler you pranked in the 1900s."

Rebekah rolled her eyes and flicked her hair back over her shoulder.

"He always tells that like I had some kind of agenda. I was just bored one Friday night."

Truthfully she liked it when Nik told the story. He always seemed so proud of her.

Caroline was laughing. "Did you really make him think the Mona Lisa was talking to him?"

Rebekah smirked. "It was the _Mona Lisa_. He was trying to sell a fake _Mona Lisa_. He deserved whatever he got."

Klaus laughed heartily, looking at his sister with amusement twinkling in his eyes.

"The best part is that he hadn't even attempted to swindle her. She recognised the fake at a glance and drove the man insane solely on principle!"

Caroline laughed more and Rebekah shrugged nonchalantly, pretending to be above it all when in fact she enjoyed her older brother's praise.

"Well did you tell her about the ball?"

They both looked up at her interestedly.

"Oh, come on Nik, you must remember that."

When he shook his head she smiled gleefully, turning to Caroline.

"Nik and Elijah were about to attend a ball with me when they realised they had both bought the same tuxedo," Rebekah began, and Klaus burst out laughing again, having recalled the memory.

"So naturally, being the two testosterone-filled brothers that they are, they decided on a duel to determine who was to change. Nik's always had a way with a sword, but he was still fortunate to have won because he had no alternative besides his birthday suit," she finished smugly.

Caroline giggled and Klaus looked at his sister with a slack jaw, offended.

"Yes, I did!"

Rebekah scoffed. "That silver abomination? I would _hardly_ call that a suitable alternative."

Klaus laughed, unable to deny that, and she joined in before abruptly stopping when she noticed the teacups and saucers on the kitchen table in front of the pair.

"Are you two having _tea_? Nik, I haven't seen you drink tea in centuries," she stated, puzzled.

He smiled sheepishly. "Caroline suggested that my entire accent is a farce unless she has seen me have a proper cup of tea."

Rebekah smiled too, strangely tickled by the fact that that alone could make her hard liquor-drinking brother sit down for a cup of the warm calming liquid. Then she looked at Caroline.

"You realise he's just about as American as you, right? We were all born in Mystic Falls."

Caroline shrugged like it hardly mattered and suddenly Klaus frowned.

"What are you doing here? I thought you'd left."

"I did," she admitted, "but then Elijah invited me over for a sleepover and I thought why not?"

She almost giggled at Nik's resulting raised brow. "Yes, I'm sure it has far less to do with painting toenails and braiding hair than making this the safest house in town, but I still thought I'd humour him."

Nik's warm and loving responsive smile caught her off guard.

"Well, as always, your room awaits," he replied softly.

She never knew what to do with herself when he was this nice so she bit the inside of her lip for a second before spinning.

"Hey, Rebekah."

It was Caroline.

So the other blonde turned, facing the smiling pair once again.

"Want some tea?"

* * *

He'd walked her back to her bedroom – or the bedroom she was borrowing for the night, anyway.

He'd walked her straight up to the door and it had been a little awkward, she thought, though possibly only from her side.

"I must apologise for Rebekah's comment earlier," he'd said, and immediately she'd known that he was thinking about it too.

They were right outside her bedroom after all.

Caroline smirked. "You're worried she offended my delicate sensibilities?"

Klaus smiled, his eyes twinkling. "You're hardly delicate."

It was the oddest compliment.

She looked down at her hands. They were fiddling.

"She had a point though. Tyler was sort of the thing that…"

_Stood between us being together_.

"I meant to ask about your feelings on the subject," he'd nodded.

She smiled, now, at the backwards way he'd phrased that. At the fact that he'd been thinking about it all day but hadn't brought it up till she was ready.

She'd run a hand over her face. "I feel like…" she sighed. "I actually can't think about this right now, I'm sorry Klaus. It's just been a really long day and you gave me chamomile and I only got, like, five hours of sleep last night. My brain just isn't functioning at an optimum level," she rambled.

He smiled and she knew it was because he was the one person on earth who liked and understood her ramblings; that he followed her every word because each actually meant something to him.

Each meant everything to him.

"I understand. Sleep well, Caroline."

And that had been it. No touch or hug or cheek kiss.

He'd walked off to his room and she'd entered hers and now she was here, curled up on this massive bed all alone as she contemplated the day.

In reverse, because that's the only way she could handle it right now.

Klaus had made her laugh and made her tea and drank his own tea and stuck his pinky in the air just to make her laugh some more.

Klaus had held her as she sobbed; took the blame, comforted.

Klaus had signed over his house and gotten rid of Tyler and taken care of the whole werewolf problem that she hadn't even known had been an issue.

And then there was that other thing that she'd done and it was a big deal but at the same time did it even really matter anymore?

When had Klaus begun blotting out everything else; burning brighter than even her worst mistakes? This was Caroline Forbes, mistakes had to stand out so she could analyse and obsess and fix them. Nothing was more important than that.

Except him. Somehow.

And it crossed her mind, it did, that maybe he was her biggest mistake waiting to happen, maybe that's why he shined brighter than anything else.

But how often did mistakes obliterate your every flaw to make your every trait feel like a gift from the heavens? Since when did a mistake feel like heat in your chest as you thought about it, the warmth spreading to the tips of your toes because of the insane random happiness of somebody _loving you and only you and you first_? She didn't know of any mistakes that felt that way.

Nothing else made her feel the way he did. Nothing.

She remembered her words to Bonnie: _Klaus is the evil villain who killed Aunt Jenna._

Why had she once felt so justified in holding herself above him? How could she not have seen then that at the end of the day they were all just pretending – pretending not to be the creatures that they were?

If Klaus was a villain, then so was she.

And she still had a thousand years to catch up on.

* * *

Man it probably took me over a year to get from planning this chapter in my mind to writing it and I had a ton of fun writing Dark Caroline. And I warned y'all that this story wouldn't be Hayley-friendly ;)

Rebekatoline: yes, no? ;)

Any bets on how many chapters it will take for our favourite two characters to get together after this? As I've said repeatedly in my Author's Notes, Tyler was not the only (or even main) obstacle between Klaus and Caroline. So Forwood's officially over now but it's mostly irrelevant in terms of Klaroline.

I think this chapter went a long way in sorting out most of the issues Caroline has with the prospect of a relationship with Klaus, but the one left is the biggie: DOES SHE LOVE HIM ENOUGH. Personally I don't blame Carebear for being a bit conflicted about deciding who to spend the rest of forever with. That's one massive choice.

I think it's pretty funny though (in a sad sorta way) that Klaus still has no idea that she's totally in love with him. Guys are so clueless, heh.

I liked the idea of the three Originals holing up in a vampire-proofed house with Caroline just to keep her safe. Gotta love those considerate Originals :) [when they're not trying to murder your significant other, that is]

Not lyrics this time but words from a poem by Gabriel Kawczynski, a poet on Tumblr.


	26. Chapter 26

It's been a while since it hasn't taken me a week to update, huh? ;)

Thanks to everyone who suggested solutions to the whole Originals birthplace/accent dilemma! I think the most interesting thing to me was how we all seem to have different explanations for it – that's just typical _TVD_, leaving us to figure out important facts for ourselves, lol. Also I just realised that the witch Ayana is _supposed _to have a British accent like Esther and Mikael and she doesn't. At this point I feel like the only plausible explanation is that the director of the episode didn't spare the dialogue much attention and the actors just didn't give it any thought and/or only read their own parts?

So this chapter is back to the usual length of about 5 000 words. It'll probably seem really short because the past few have all been 8 or 9 000. I just felt like this one needed to end where it ends. It also means that this will be the first day in a loooong time to be split into two separate chapters. Keep the split in mind for any missing/unclear motives, thoughts, etc. – the next chapter is more revealing whereas this one just kind of sets up for that one :)

Speaking of the next chapter, it's about halfway through its second edit at the moment so it shouldn't take a week for me to get it up but after that I'm going to have to focus on studying and then after my last two exams it's full steam ahead!

* * *

**Chapter 26: A Better Man**

_Searching to find myself_

_But all I find is you_

_I can hardly stand myself_

_So what am I to you?_

Klaus woke with a groan.

Perhaps he'd been dreaming of her or perhaps Caroline was simply permanently etched into the folds of his brain. Either way, he woke up thinking about the woman a few rooms away whom he still felt as distanced from as usual.

And he detested that that distance managed to surprise him.

Because it shouldn't have. She wasn't in love with him, after all. Nor had he any reason to believe that she ever would be. He had moronically allowed himself hope, particularly after her breakup with his pathetic hybrid.

But then, people learned to love… didn't they?

A twisted smirk made its way onto Klaus' face as he pondered the mirth of him pretending to know anything about love.

The only thing he knew about it was that he didn't deserve it. Not ever and certainly not from her.

_Anybody capable of love is capable of being saved._

Those words might have caused any other man hope. Only Klaus didn't want to be saved… did he?

He groaned again. This line of thought certainly wasn't helping.

Suddenly his finely tuned hearing picked up Caroline stirring in the spare room and he rolled over, pulling himself out of bed.

He needed a long hot shower where he could think about murder and scheming and anything else he loved that was not Caroline Forbes.

* * *

Caroline whistled, strutting her way down the Mikaelsons' impressive staircase in her new outfit.

Not that today was particularly special or anything, but new clothes made her happy and she'd had no choice but to wear her shopping from the day before… so yeah, she was just the slightest bit bubblier than usual today.

Then again, why couldn't today be particularly special? She was eternally young, hot and, for the first time in what felt like forever, single again.

That made her mind suddenly wander into Tyler-territory but she quickly shut it down. She didn't need the guilt that came with that line of thought right now. The thing to focus on was that she was finally free of him and how toxic their relationship had become.

And it was almost as if it had been a physical burden she'd borne because she actually felt lighter.

And bubbly. Really bubbly.

Hearing sounds coming from the kitchen, Caroline completed her descent of the staircase then made her way there. When she got to the entranceway she realised that Klaus was on the phone, standing beside a counter covered in food.

He hadn't noticed her yet and with wide eyes she took in the massive meal spread out next to him.

"Kill them all," he instructed. "And if they put up a fight, kill their children too."

Klaus didn't wait for a reply and he was busy ending the call when he noticed her. An automatic smile appeared on his face.

"Caroline."

She smiled a little too in spite of herself, thinking of everything that had occurred between them last night.

But she shook the memories away, bringing herself back to the present.

"Who was that and what is all this?" she asked, gesturing at the kitchen counter.

"_That _was Marcel and _this _is breakfast."

She raised a brow. "This is all for us?"

"It's all for _you_," he clarified. "And I'll have some if you allow," he said, still with that smile.

She watched him for a few seconds then sighed. "Why do you always do that?"

"Do what?" he asked innocently.

"Pretend like _I'm _some kind of… queen who gets to order _you _around."

"Ah," he said, his smile broadening and his dimples showing, "because you like it, remember?"

Caroline laughed and looked at the ground, blushing as she remembered her confession.

"And because you _are_ a queen," he continued. "And deserve to be treated as such."

He pulled out a chair for her and, after she'd sat, picked up the plate in front of her and moved to the opposite side of the counter.

She watched him place a croissant and then some salmon into her plate.

"I can do that for myself, you know," she protested at him dishing her food.

He didn't look up from his task, adding capers and cream cheese.

"Tell me, Caroline, what's better?" he asked, "Knowing you're able to do something and doing it, or knowing you're able to do something and not having to do it because someone who also knows is willing to serve you?"

She rolled her eyes but was unable to hide a grin. "Fair point."

After placing a wedge of lemon beside her salmon, he placed the plate in front of her, then picked up her bowl. She watched with amusement as he began piling fruit into it. First watermelon then strawberries and raspberries, topped with a sprinkling of nuts.

"How do you know I don't want my fruit first?" she challenged.

He smirked, again not looking up as he went about his task.

"Because you like pastry first," he replied matter-of-factly.

Caroline rolled her eyes again before cutting into the supple croissant.

"Knowing things about me that I haven't told you? Creepy," she pointed out.

No way was she going to add that she found it pretty fascinating and maybe even just the slightest bit flattering.

Klaus picked up another bowl, setting the one containing her fruit down, to dish Bulgarian yoghurt into it.

"There was a time when it was considered simply being perceptive," he informed her. "It was quite the norm, actually. Women often expected it during courting."

A little laugh escaped Caroline's lips as she bit off a piece of stuffed croissant.

"No way."

He nodded insistently, finally picking up his own plate to begin dishing into it.

"I once played at courting a young lady who absolutely refused to tell my servant-girl how she wanted her tea because she was convinced that it was something I already should have known."

Caroline laughed, shaking her head in disbelief. "Seriously?"

He nodded, taking his seat beside her, and Caroline knew that the woman's insolence couldn't have gone down well with Klaus.

"What happened to her?" she asked suspiciously.

"I had _her _for tea," he replied lightly, his dimples so enchanting that the words almost seemed adorable just by association.

Almost.

She rolled her eyes, taking another bite. "Of course you did."

They were silent for a while as they both ate, when suddenly she heard Klaus take a small shaky breath.

"I was hoping we could continue our conversation from last night," he stated simply.

She looked around pointedly. "With Elijah and Rebekah here?"

Klaus shrugged. "I can have them both daggered in under a minute."

She was about to laugh, sure he was joking, when she noticed that he was already twisting halfway off his chair, awaiting her word.

She laid a hand on his wrist, then almost pulled it away again in reflex, having forgotten how warm his skin was. The hair on his arm tickled her palm a little and she found herself actively resisting simply slipping her hand into his.

"Let's just eat, ok?"

He nodded, a little boy taking his orders, and that was all they did for the next few minutes: eat.

But as much control as she seemed to have in this situation, she still didn't have enough over her own mind. Those two sentences keep running through it.

"What was all that about, on the phone?"

His mind must have been somewhere else because he looked up at her in confusion before realisation seemed to dawn.

"There are humans attempting to test my power in New Orleans. They'll soon be taught the consequences of such reckless actions."

Caroline nodded slowly, though she didn't understand at all. "Why are _humans _trying to test your power?"

"They believe that because Marcel was overthrown by me and I am no longer there, our authority is weak. They grow tired of dealing with vampires in their city," he explained.

She wanted to say that the humans had a point but realised that it was the same thing Tyler had been trying to do. She couldn't rightfully tell Klaus that humans deserved to live peacefully in a vampire-free town when she'd made the opposite case with Tyler.

"Why would humans even think they could take you on?" she asked, already worried about these people that she'd never met.

"Because they are foolish. And because they haven't been taught otherwise… yet."

His words sent a shiver through her spine but she hid it, silently continuing to eat her breakfast.

She had to admit that she appreciated how candid he was being about his operations in New Orleans but it still scared her a little. Whatever he had going on there sounded like it was completely out of her field of expertise; like she would be completely out of her depth if she ever went.

_Kill them all. And if they put up a fight, kill their children too._

She took one last spoonful of her yoghurt before pushing the crockery away a little.

"I have to go," she announced.

His eyes flashed to hers. "You're upset?"

"No," she lied. "I've just had enough; I should go."

She'd already decided that she needed to get back home and with her words Klaus realised that she wouldn't be accepting his offer for her to stay till he had found Tyler. He understood her decision but the reasoning she was offering him now was dubious.

She saw the distrust in his eyes but he still nodded, pretending.

God, was there anything he wouldn't do for her?

"Your vampires are waiting outside. They'll escort you home."

"Are they really still necessary?" she complained.

"Well considering Jesse is still on the loose as well as your ex-boyfriend wholeft with a decidedly ambiguous threat, I'm going to go with 'Rather safe than sorry' on this one."

She smiled a little. She couldn't help it, he was so adorable when he quoted American sayings.

"Jesse, fine," she agreed, albeit reluctantly. "But I can take Tyler, you know."

He smiled at her like she was the most adorable puppy he'd ever seen.

"I'm well aware, Caroline," he stated as if he'd heard her say something similar a million other times.

Which, in his defence, he had.

"But I'm factoring in the emotional as well as the physical."

She stared at him for a moment, considering. He had a point. She doubted that she could ever actually kill Tyler.

But then…

"Well if you're factoring in emotions then shouldn't you also factor in how he feels about me?" she pointed out.

He hesitated before replying. "Possibly, but I got the feeling that the poor lad's feelings for the wolf were deeper than he dared let on."

She pulled a face. "Fine. Then I guess I'll just take my tinyarmyand go."

She turned on her heel to walk away and maybe it was because he didn't even try to stop her despite the fact that she'd never given him an answer or maybe it was that the question hung thick in the air between them, but she couldn't bring herself to leave just yet.

She knew had to address it but all she wanted to do was stall because she couldn't get those damn words out of her mind.; couldn't stop them from bothering her for some reason.

_Kill them all. And if they put up a fight, kill their children too._

"I want to be courted," she found herself saying.

"What?" Klaus asked, surprise evident in his voice.

He was probably the only person who could have been more surprised by her statement than she was herself.

She took a breath then turned back to him, holding her arms wide in an attempt to sell her lie.

"I want to be courted, ok! I want the opened car door and the movie and the dinner and the whole shebang. I am done just jumping into relationships," she finished.

Klaus' forehead wrinkled as he looked on in confusion at the lovely blonde. She truly was a mystery to him sometimes.

"But sweetheart…"

"Look, we have had pretty much the most unconventional relationship in the history of relationships, starting with you wanting to sacrifice me for your freaky hybrid ritual, me distracting you while my friends worked on things behind your back and let's not forget Truth or Dare!"

He smirked and she narrowed her eyes at him, warning him against making any glib remark. He stayed silent and she took another deep breath for composure.

"So, yes. I want to go on a real date and be wooed and and…" she seemed to run out of words here as she flushed, embarrassed. "And I have to go now."

Then she sped out, leaving Klaus in a haze of confused frustration and half-eaten breakfasts.

* * *

Elijah entered the kitchen just as his brother tossed the china plates into the sink angrily.

Niklaus stared at the broken crockery then leaned against the counter with a mutinous expression.

"Niklaus, what is the matter?"

Klaus exhaled heavily through his nostrils, foregoing a reply. The brothers switched places and Elijah sighed as he began to clean up Niklaus' mess.

"I believe an esteemed friend gifted us these centuries ago," Elijah noted wistfully as he threw shards of the plates into the dustbin.

"I don't give a damn about the bloody china," Klaus growled from behind his brother.

Elijah turned to him with a raised brow. It seemed he might be ready to speak about whatever was bothering him.

"Well?" he prodded when Niklaus still said nothing, simply staring at him with wild eyes.

"She wants… to be wooed."

Elijah suppressed a surprised and impressed laugh. "Caroline?"

"No, the bloody maid. Who else?"

Elijah turned back to the sink with a small smile. He began picking up the tinier shards, feeling each pinch into his skin and draw blood.

"And why is this a problem?" he asked calmly.

Klaus scoffed as if the answer were obvious. "Tyler is _finally _out of the way. And not just temporarily away or banished by myself, but out of Caroline's life for good. After everything her and I have been through, he was the only thing that stood in our way."

Elijah turned back to Klaus, doing the small knowing smirk he knew annoyed his brother.

"_Was he_?"

Klaus' eyes widened at his brother's implication and his jaw clenched. He remembered Caroline's words from the previous night.

_Tyler was sort of the thing that…_

_Sort of._

"He was the only thing that stood in the way of her giving me a _chance_," he clarified.

"And what did you expect? For her to end things with him then run straight into your waiting arms?" Elijah countered.

Klaus looked sheepish.

"You didn't suspect that she may have any reservations or conditions or opinions?"

Ashamed, Klaus' gaze dropped and Elijah felt a strange mixture of pride, pity and love for the man before him. No matter the circumstance, Niklaus was still his younger brother. It was his job to advise and protect him.

"Niklaus," Elijah started, nearing to lay a hand on his brother's shoulder, "surely this is not asking much?"

Klaus met Elijah's eyes uncertainly and the elder brother smiled softly.

"If this is the girl you are so enamoured by then surely she is worth the wait? Worth whatever effort you may put into making her realise, once and for all, that you are the man she may want to be with?" His smile widened. "And if this is the woman you intend on spending the rest of eternity with, Niklaus, then surely she deserves to be wooed properly at least once?"

Slowly a twin smile formed on Niklaus' face and Elijah knew he had twisted his brother's arm.

"For once you speak some sense, brother," Klaus joked and they both laughed.

"What is with all the laughing in this house these days?" a female voice noted suddenly, approaching. "Ooh, breakfast!" Rebekah exclaimed when she'd entered the kitchen in a pink and silver bikini.

Examining the massive spread, she smirked. "Seems Harris didn't get the memo that no consummation happened here last night," she mocked.

"Rebekah, don't be crude," Elijah growled disapprovingly.

He had only just managed to inch Niklaus into a good mood.

But the blonde ignored him, wilfully grabbing at things and happily stuffing them into her mouth.

"Where _is_ Harris?" Klaus asked with folded arms, immediately somewhat grumpy again.

"Probably exploring the grounds. It's what I would do if I'd just had an enormous mansion handed to me," Rebekah teased.

Klaus rolled his eyes. "I've compelled him to forget that he owns this house, as you well know."

"Ugh, now you know why I say that you suck the fun out of everything."

Elijah repressed laughter as Klaus frowned.

"You've never said that to me before."

Rebekah considered for a moment. "Oh. It's hard to keep track of all my insults over the centuries."

Klaus shook his head, amused in spite of himself, before giving his sister a once-over. "What were you two up to?"

"I realised that I'd never used the pool here before. So I did laps and Elijah counted."

Klaus smirked. Of course his brother hadn't climbed into the water himself. That would be far too undignified for a man of his boring stature.

"You couldn't just have left?" Klaus complained.

Rebekah arched a brow. "No. Because Elijah invited me over, and family actually still happens to mean something to _some_ of us," she prodded, before smirking. "Besides, why would you and Caroline possibly have needed the _entire _house to yourselves?"

Klaus shook his head in disgust at his sister's obvious method of taunting him before turning to make his way out.

"Nik!" Rebekah stopped him. "Speaking of family, how about some fencing after breakfast?" she suggested gleefully. "I'll bet you're rusty."

_Family._

At her words, Klaus made a rash decision.

Turning back to them, he sighed. "Actually, after breakfast I need to discuss something with the both of you."

Elijah frowned. "It sounds important."

"It is," Klaus replied cryptically before walking away.

* * *

Caroline pulled into her driveway and sat still for a few seconds, fearfully checking the perimeter.

Then she shook her head and laughed, feeling silly when she realised that that her fear was just as a result of Klaus managing to succeed in making her paranoid. At least she felt silly until she climbed out of her car and felt vulnerable.

She gasped when somebody whooshed over to her, but sighed in relief when she realised it was just one of Klaus' vampire guards.

He seemed amused by her reaction. "We've secured the property, it's safe for you."

"Oh," Caroline noted awkwardly. "Uh, thanks."

She looked at her front door a little uncertainly.

She couldn't get Tyler's face out of her mind. Betrayal, hurt, disgust… and Klaus' words: _I got the feeling that the poor lad's feelings for the wolf were deeper than he dared let on._

Whether Klaus had been right and Tyler had had feelings for Hayley or whether they'd just been close friends like Tyler had assured her – either way he must hate her right now. The problem was not knowing how far that hate might drive him.

She shuddered then realised in embarrassment that the vampire was still watching her.

"You know, you shouldn't be scared," he added.

She smiled, nodding. "Yeah, I know you guys are watching out for me. Thanks for that, by the way."

She felt sad and almost hesitant to thank this vampire. After Carl it felt wrong to get to know any of her other guards or form any emotional attachment to them at all.

But the guy shook his head. "That's not what I meant. We are, but that's not what I meant."

Caroline frowned questioningly and a sly grin spread across his face.

"We saw what you did to that werewolf yesterday."

Right. She could practically still feel the warm liquid dripping down her hand.

Judging by her empty and clean driveway, either Klaus' vampires or Tyler himself had taken care of Tyler's truck and Hayley's corpse.

The vampire's grin was so infectious that she found herself smiling proudly right along with him.

Sometimes she forgot that in the real world vampires hated werewolves. All because Mikael had killed off Klaus' real father's family one thousand years ago.

"I'm pretty sure you can take care of yourself," he continued.

An amused smirk crossed Caroline's face. "I'm glad to know you think so. Mind passing the message on to your boss?"

He laughed, shaking his head in amusement. "If you promise not to run away on us again like you did yesterday."

Caroline grinned. "Deal."

The vampire smiled then disappeared into the trees as half his fellow guards fanned out across her front yard. Caroline shook her head – they looked so creepy and out of place interspersed between her lawn decorations.

Oh well.

Slowly she approached her front door then anxiously unlocked it. Klaus' vampire had made her feel better but the thought of Tyler waiting inside for her, insane with rage because she'd killed his friend, petrified her.

She knew in her heart that she wouldn't be able to kill him. Not him.

When it came to being in love with him, she'd pretended for a long time – she knew that now – but that didn't mean that she didn't still care for him.

Before he'd been her boyfriend, he'd been her friend.

Stepping into her bedroom, she exhaled heavily in relief when it was mercilessly empty. She dropped her shopping bags on her bed before dropping down herself.

She knew exactly what she needed after the previous day's craziness: tons of ice-cream and TV series.

* * *

A few hours after Caroline had left, she nervously stepped back into the Mikaelson mansion.

The bottom floor was silent so she tuned her hearing to the above floors and was surprised when she heard raised voices.

"Well I hope you're satisfied that we passed your test or whatever twisted mind game you were playing!" Rebekah yelled.

"Rebekah, please. We should be more understanding of Niklaus' position."

"_Niklaus' position_?" Rebekah mimicked disrespectfully. "I don't give a _damn _about his _position_. Neither does he care about us," she spat.

There was a pause as the female Mikaelson calmed herself down. Caroline tiptoed up the stairs as she listened, frowning. Just last night Klaus and Rebekah had been on good terms. What could possibly have happened in the meantime to make that change?

"And if you still believe that he has any interest in rebuilding this family, then you're in for a rude awakening, brother. _I'm _done with it," she addressed Elijah.

Caroline imagined Rebekah getting up close to Klaus' face as she said her next words: "And I'm done with _you_."

Caroline's frown only deepened when she stopped outside Klaus' bedroom just as Rebekah pulled the door open.

Rebekah smirked in contempt at the other blonde. "Good luck with that lying bastard. You'll need it."

Caroline opened her mouth to ask what she was talking about, but Rebekah made for the stairs as she spoke over her shoulder.

"Oh, and it's folly to try and sneak up on Originals, Caroline, but good attempt" she laughed snarkily.

Tearing her confused gaze away from Rebekah's retreating back, Caroline took a step forward to look inside Klaus' bedroom. He stood there looking a little pale opposite his brother, as they both stared at one another, having a silent conversation with their eyes.

"Hey…" Caroline said awkwardly, entering. "What's going on?"

There was a weird pause before Elijah nodded curtly.

"Good afternoon, Caroline. And now if you will excuse me," he greeted, leaving.

Caroline watched the eldest Mikaelson leave the room with a deep frown. This all just seemed strange.

She turned to Klaus who seemed to have regained some of his colour but still looked troubled.

"What was all that about?" she asked curiously.

He seemed to shake out of his trance but still looked distracted as he answered: "Nothing." Then his eyes widened when he realised that she was actually there. "I planned to come to you!"

Caroline smiled. She didn't know what it was that had Klaus this scatterbrained but it was adorable.

"I know, but I got your text and thought I'd come here instead." She sighed at his questioning raised eyebrow. "I felt bad about the way I left this morning."

He smirked and she rolled her eyes.

"Well, what did you want to tell me?" she pressed, feeling ashamed.

A slow grin spread on his face, his cute dimples coming out. "To keep your evening free," he responded simply.

She narrowed her eyes at him playfully. "Why?"

"Because, at your request, I've arranged for a… date," he finished, the last word coming off alien from his tongue.

"_Tonight_?" Caroline confirmed.

She'd thought that it would take at least another few days for him to organise a date good enough for Klaus Mikaelson to take someone on.

"Yes. You don't already have plans, do you?" he asked worriedly.

"Uh, no. I'm just a little surprised."

"It's what you asked for, sweetheart," he pointed out with a smirk.

She pulled a face. "Whatever. What time?"

He thought for a moment, seeming to calculate something in his mind. "Six-fifteen."

Caroline almost laughed. Of course seven would have been just too normal for him.

"Where are we going?"

"That's a surprise. So I'll pick you up."

Caroline's eyebrow shot up. "_No_. I'll meet you here."

He considered for a moment then laughed, relenting. "Very well."

She smiled in satisfaction, happy to have won that round.

Intent on winning another, she was about to begin her interrogation about what on earth had just happened between him and his siblings, when he said something that threw her completely off-track.

"Pack an overnight bag and wear swimwear."

* * *

Sooo… date night in the next chapter! But will it go down smoothly or badly? I'm actually incredibly intrigued to know what you guys think because I wanna know how cruel of a writer y'all think I am ;) It's also a fair question though because before writing it I had no idea myself how it was going to go. Please tell me what your predictions are, and also maybe what you thought of this chapter?

Lyrics from _Every Night _by _Imagine Dragons_.

P.S. WHAT is going on with the Mikaelsons?


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